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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27863350">Industry of Intrigue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphire5/pseuds/Sapphire5'>Sapphire5</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:48:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,825</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27863350</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphire5/pseuds/Sapphire5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Series: Ongoing<br/>Installment #1 (7 Chapters, Complete)</p><p>Series Summary: Two families collide with the Quests, both with ties to Dr. Quest, and their history will directly impact the Quest Family's future. (Future Alternaverse)</p><p>Disclaimer:  JQ: TRA is owned by Hanna Barbara.  This is a work of fiction written by a fan for other fans’ enjoyment.  No money was made off of this fic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Stranger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A Note From the Author:</p><p>Originally, this story was featured on Suze Howe’s JQ:TRA Archive where I used SapphireWings as a pseudonym.  Then, in June of 2003, it was posted on Fanfiction.net under the name Sapphire5, the same as I am using here on AO3.  I wrote this in the late 90's, my very first foray into fan fiction.  Roughly ten years later I decided to do a quick clean-up of my JQ stories and post them essentially as is.  Ha, ha, me!  I started writing JQ again and ended up seriously revising the early stories.  What a difference!  I reposted the chapters on FFN.  That’s what’s now available there, as well as here on this site (this revision completed 2/2009).</p><p>If you know JQ:TRA, you might like my little series.  But full disclosure... while I did do major revisions to this series, I'm well aware it still has it's problems.  I did say this was my very first try at fan fiction, and I was no less susceptible to the major pitfalls of writing fan fiction than anyone else.  Now, I'm a much better writer, thanks to this experience!  Still,  I’m always happy to receive feedback, but please, if you leave a comment try to be specific and offer suggestions on how to improve.  That’s what makes it constructive criticism instead of an idle complaint (which I will ignore).  Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoy!  ~Sapphire</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>April 1999</p><p> </p><p>Chapter One:  The Stranger</p><p> </p><p>Location:  Quest Compound, Rockport, Maine</p><p> </p><p>          The rain beat against the window panes as lightning flashed brightly, followed by booming thunder.  Race Bannon looked up from his newspaper at a knock on the door, accompanied by Iris’ announcement that there was a visitor.  His employer, Dr. Benton Quest, looked up from his work on his laptop computer.</p><p>          “Now who could that be in this storm?” Dr. Quest wondered.</p><p>          “Let’s find out,” Race suggested.  The two men rose from their seats at the sound of a second knock.  In the front hall, they opened the door, surprised to see the County Sheriff on the other side.  Standing beside him was a dripping wet young woman with a backpack slung over one shoulder and a small duffel bag in her hand.</p><p>          “Can I help you, Sheriff Olson?” Race asked, taking the sheriff’s extended hand and giving it a quick shake.  The sheriff was a trusted friend, and had been since they’d moved the family up to Maine.</p><p>          “Yes,” replied the sheriff, “Is Dr. Quest at home?”</p><p>          “I’m right here,” Dr. Quest said, stepping around Race.  “What can I do for you?”</p><p>          “This young lady was sent to us from the Kansas City police department in Missouri,” Sheriff Olson told them.  “Her mother disappeared about a month ago, and you were named the girl’s guardian in the mother’s living will.  The girl is no longer a minor, but they sent her to you because of her mother’s disappearance, and well, she wants to tell you the rest herself.”</p><p>          “Who the heck would name Benton guardian to their daughter?” Race asked incredulously.  Sheriff Olson just shook his head and chuckled.</p><p>          “You’re in for quite a story, but I assure you both, it’s on the up and up,” Sheriff Olson said.  Dr. Quest turned to the young woman beside the Sheriff.  She was tall, her head just an inch taller than the sheriff’s shoulder, and he was a big man.   Her light brown, shoulder-length hair was plastered to her head from the rain.  Her dripping hair outlined a slightly heart-shaped face where two slate blue eyes rimmed in thick lashes looked back at him with trepidation.</p><p>          “Go ahead,” he said.</p><p>          “I’m your niece,” she stated.  Dr. Quest was astonished at her blunt announcement.  Race’s jaw dropped.</p><p>          “That’s impossible,” Race countered, “The Doc doesn’t have a niece.  He doesn’t have siblings.”  He glanced at Dr. Quest.  “Should we send her back to Kansas City, Benton?”</p><p>          “Oh, you can’t do that!” the young woman exclaimed in a sudden burst of emotion.  Race looked back at her skeptically.  “He couldn’t possibly know about me!” she explained in a rush.  “I didn’t know I had an uncle until two weeks ago myself, and I just found him!  I wouldn’t have come, but I desperately need his help!”  The girl nearly broke down into tears on the doorstep in the pouring rain.</p><p>          “No, don’t send her away, Race,” Benton Quest said, watching the young woman with obvious compassion.  “Sheriff Olson said it was legitimate.  I want to hear what she has to say.”  Race glanced uncertainly at Dr. Quest, but the older man was quite serious.</p><p>          “All right, Benton,” Race gave in.  “We’ll get her some hot chocolate, while we’re at it.”  Race was quite sarcastic, but he knew his old friend too well.  Once Benton Quest made up his mind about something, he would stubbornly stick to his decision.  That’s what had made the man so successful.  Race sighed.  “I’ll go get Jonny.  He’ll probably want to hear this.”</p><p>          “Bring Hadji and Jessie along, too.  No sense in having to repeat ourselves later,” added Dr. Quest.  As Race disappeared through the kitchen doorway, Dr. Quest turned back to the front door and admitted the young woman into the house.  “Would you like to join us, Sheriff?” Benton invited.</p><p>          “No, Dr. Quest, thanks, though.  I have to be getting back to the station.  I was instructed to give you this, however,” he said, handing Dr. Quest a large envelope containing some papers.  “There are plenty of legal documents in there confirming who she is.  I had it faxed from Kansas City to verify her story.  It seemed suspicious at first, so I did some checking.”</p><p>          “And?” Dr. Quest prompted.</p><p>          “She is who she says she is, and she <em>is</em> your niece,” Sheriff Olson said.  Benton nodded.  “And one more thing I forgot to mention,” the sheriff added.  “Seems there’s a trust fund that was set up for the young lady.  She doesn’t come into the money until she’s twenty-five, and the real reason the Kansas City Police wanted her to come out here was because you’re the one with control over the account.  I got a look at the amount.  It’s a lot of money we’re talking about.”  Dr. Quest raised an eyebrow at that.  It was hard to believe a perfect stranger would entrust him with a large sum of money.</p><p>          “Thank-you, Sheriff Olson,” Dr. Quest said.</p><p>          “See you around, Dr. Quest.  If you need anything, or need to talk to Kansas City, call me.  I can put you in touch with the detective in charge down there.”  Benton nodded, and the sheriff left.  Benton turned to the young woman standing beside him.  He looked her up and down again, trying to discern any more information about her.  He watched as rain dripped off her nose, then caught her gaze with his.  She was scared, uncertain, but she was determined about something.</p><p>          “Come with me,” Dr. Quest said finally.  “I’ll get you that warm cocoa and you can start by telling me your name.”</p><p>          “Maggie,” she offered.  “My name is Maggie Hardy.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Ten minutes later they were congregated in the large kitchen of the Quest mansion.  Dr. Quest had quickly taken care of the formality of introductions.  Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji were seated around the kitchen table with Dr. Quest and the young woman they’d just met.  Bandit, Jonny’s black and white bull-terrier, sat at his master’s feet looking up at the strange girl with an intent gaze.  Race leaned on the kitchen counter watching for anything suspicious.  He, like Bandit, wasn’t sure whether or not the young woman could be trusted, despite the assurances of the county sheriff’s department.</p><p>          “Go ahead, Miss Hardy,” Dr. Quest instructed.  “I’m very curious as to what you have to say.  Try to be as detailed and thorough as possible.  Even something that seems insignificant might prove quite important.  Try not to leave anything out.”  Visibly nervous and wide eyed, Maggie nodded, then took a steadying breath.</p><p>          “As I said,” she began, her voice a little shaky with nerves, “My name is Maggie Hardy.”  She paused to take another steadying breath.  This time it seemed to help, at least, her voice was steadier and clear.  “I’m a Sophomore at Weston University, a small private college in Iowa.  At least I <em>was</em>, until a month ago.”  Dr. Quest nodded encouragement when she paused uncertainly.  “Before that I lived in Denver.  That’s where I graduated high school,” she continued with gaining confidence.  “I lived in Los Angeles, too,” she added thoughtfully, “<em>after</em> I lived in Washington D.C. and Cincinnati.  I’ve also lived in Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, Minneapolis, Houston, and Vancouver.  My mom moved the two of us all over.  We never stayed anywhere long, except for Minneapolis.  We lived there for five years.”</p><p>          “Wow, was she in the military or something?”  Jonny asked amazed.</p><p>          “No,” Maggie shook her head.  “My mom didn’t like staying in one spot.  She liked new places.  At least, that’s what she told me whenever I asked.”</p><p>          “It sounds like you’ve had a unique lifestyle, but, what does all of this have to do with me?” asked Dr. Quest curiously.</p><p>          “Nothing,” replied Maggie with a faint smile, “I was just telling you where I’m from.  You said not to leave anything out.”  Jessie giggled at Dr. Quest’s surprise.</p><p>          “You did say that,” Jessie pointed out.  Dr. Quest smiled in spite of himself.</p><p>          “So I did,” Dr. Quest admitted, amused.  “Please, go on, Miss Hardy.”</p><p>          “Well,” Maggie said with a sigh, “I suppose I should start with my grandmother, Nolie Markham.”</p><p>          “Hey- that’s my grandmother’s name,” Jonny interrupted.  Maggie just smiled a sad, knowing smile that didn’t quite reach her troubled eyes.</p><p>          “I know,” she replied softly.  When Jonny didn’t say anything more, Maggie went on.  “Markham was her maiden name, of course,” Maggie said, continuing.  “She was only seventeen when she married my grandfather, Earnest Franklin.  There was an eighteen year difference in their ages, and Grandpa always said the marriage was doomed to failure.  You see, he explained to me that he and Grandma were both free thinkers, which is what attracted them to each other in the first place, but their ways of thinking were too different, and their age difference added to the tensions.  When my mother was a year old, they divorced.”</p><p>          “That was not common for their generation,” Hadji commented.  “I am guessing that was another attribute of their free thinking.”  Maggie nodded.</p><p>          “Grandma left her marriage without a fight, leaving my mother with my grandpa.”  She stopped and reached for her steaming mug of hot cocoa.  Holding it to her mouth, she took a few sips, closing both hands around the mug to warm them.  She sighed, exhausted, as she set the mug back down.</p><p>          “She must have known how hard it would be to raise her daughter on her own,” Race commented.  Maggie turned to look at him, a little startled as if she’d forgotten he was there.  Race gave her a questioning look, and she slowly nodded.</p><p>          “That’s what Grandpa told me,” Maggie replied.  She forced herself to relax a little, and sat back in her chair.  “My mother saw my grandmother twice after the divorce.  She was very young both times, and she told me she didn’t remember much more than vague impressions of Nolie Markham.  Mom and Grandpa lost contact with her when Grandpa took Mom and moved to California.”</p><p>          “Why did your grandfather move away?” Jonny asked.</p><p>          “Because Nolie Markham married another man,” Maggie answered.  “You see, Grandpa loved her to the day he died, even if he refused to admit it.  I think he hoped she’d come back to him- until she remarried.”</p><p>          “I believe now is the time we discover how Dr. Quest comes into this story,” Hadji observed.  Maggie nodded.</p><p>          “Two weeks ago I was contacted by my mother’s lawyer,” Maggie said.  “That’s when I learned how this story ends.  Nolie Markham’s second husband was a man named Herbert Quest.  They had one son together, and that boy was you, Dr. Quest.”  The room was silent, and all eyes were on Dr. Quest, waiting for his reaction.  Dr. Quest ignored them as he contemplated what Maggie had told them.</p><p>          “Do you have a copy of your mother’s will?” Dr. Quest asked finally.  Maggie nodded.  “I’d like to see what Laura has to say.”</p><p>          “Yes, it’s in the big envelope the sheriff gave you…”  Maggie suddenly looked up in surprise.  He knew her mother’s name.  Dr. Quest smiled faintly and nodded.  The exchange went unnoticed by everyone else, except Race.  He watched the two curiously, but said nothing of it.</p><p>          “What else is in this envelope?” Dr. Quest asked, picking up the weighty packet he’d placed on the table earlier.</p><p>          “Oh, um, marriage licenses, birth certificates, a transcript of the divorce proceedings, everything you could want in there,” Maggie managed to answer.  Dr. Quest opened the envelope Sheriff Olson had given him and set the pages on the table in front of him.  Slowly, he turned them, one by one, checking over each one.</p><p>          “It appears that Miss Hardy really is my niece, and her mother is my half-sister,” he announced, setting aside several particular pages for further scrutiny.  It was the will.</p><p>          “This is totally amazing!” exclaimed Jonny, excitedly.  “Welcome to the family.”  He turned to Hadji.  “Hey Hadj, we’ve got a cousin!”</p><p>          “Thank-you,” Maggie replied shyly, looking at Hadji curiously.  Cousin?  She shook her head, unable to consider what that meant at the moment.  She wasn’t finished yet.  “I- this-” Maggie stumbled over the words, “I wouldn’t have known any of it if it weren’t for my mom.”  She had to blink hard to keep from breaking down and crying in front of these people, strangers in fact, even if they were family.  “Dr. Quest, I need your help.”</p><p>          “Where <em>is</em> your mother?” Jessie asked pointedly.  “Why didn’t she come here with you?”</p><p>          “She disappeared 33 days ago without a trace,” Maggie told them.  “Local police have no leads.  And now the FBI have stepped in because of what happened twenty years ago.”</p><p>          “What happened twenty years ago that could have anything to do with your mother’s disappearance?” Race asked sharply, his interest suddenly piqued, and his instincts warning him something was very wrong here.  Maggie turned to look at him again, noting the change in his demeanor, but not understanding.  She wanted to trust these people- <em>needed</em> to trust them.</p><p>          “Twenty years ago my father, Jack Hardy, disappeared without a trace,” she told him.  Her announcement was met with stunned silence.</p><p>          “Now <em>that</em>,” Jonny said, finding his voice first, “is too tall for TV.”</p><p>          “You’re going to have to explain, Miss,” Race said seriously.  A person’s parents didn’t just vanish 20 years apart with no explanation.  “This smells of rotten fish so bad a cat wouldn’t swallow it.”</p><p>          “If the FBI are involved, this can’t be a coincidence,” Jessie agreed.</p><p>          “Tell us what you know,” Dr. Quest asked, intrigued.</p><p>          “It happened in September 1978, on the day I was born,” Maggie began.  “When my mom realized she was in labor, she called my dad at work.  He said he’d meet her at the hospital, but my mom never heard from him again.”</p><p>          “What happened to him?” Jonny asked.  Maggie shook her head.</p><p>          “I don’t know.  What I do know is that he <em>did</em> arrive at the hospital.  I had already been born.  My mom, as usual, ignored her labor until it absolutely <em>couldn’t</em> be ignored.  She said she got to the hospital barely in time,” Maggie said.  “When my dad arrived, he asked at reception, and was told I was already in the nursery.  He went there first.  The maternity ward nurses remembered him clearly, because they held me up to the window for him to see.  One of the nurses spoke to him and told him where to find my mother.”</p><p>          “But she never saw him after that phone call,” Jessie remembered.</p><p>          “That’s right,” Maggie nodded.  “Just minutes after that nurse spoke to my father, the whole hospital was thrown into chaos.”</p><p>          “This cannot be good,” Hadji prophesized. </p><p>          “A doctor, my mother’s obstetrician, was found dead,” Maggie said.</p><p>          “Wait a minute-” Race interrupted.  “I think I remember hearing about that.”  Maggie wasn’t the least bit surprised by that announcement.</p><p>          “There was a lot of news coverage, even in the national papers,” she said.</p><p>          “Was your dad the one they suspected in the murder?” Race asked.</p><p>          “Yes,” Maggie confirmed desolately.  “He was seen leaving the hospital, accompanied by an unidentified man.  People remembered my dad because he was acting suspiciously.”</p><p>          “As I recall, your father wasn’t a suspect for very long,” Dr. Quest said.</p><p>          “No,” Maggie returned.  “The receptionist and the maternity ward nurses remembered him well.  They knew he wasn’t responsible for the doctor’s death.  He was quickly cleared of suspicion.  That’s when law enforcement realized he’d been abducted, but after Dad and his abductor exited the hospital, no one knows where they went.  They just disappeared.”</p><p>          “What do you know about your mother’s disappearance?” Race asked when it was apparent Maggie had nothing else to say on the topic of her father’s abduction.</p><p>          “I discovered she was missing,” Maggie told them.  “I talked to her during her lunch break on that Friday afternoon.  She was leaving for a weekend trip to Omaha to visit a friend.  That was the last time I talked to her.  When I didn’t hear from her by Tuesday, I knew something was wrong.  After Grandpa died, we only had each other, so we usually talked daily,” Maggie explained.  “I called and called, but there was no answer.  I even tried calling her at work.  Nothing.  On Thursday night I made the drive home from college.”</p><p>          “You lasted longer than I would have,” Jessie admitted, looking at her dad.</p><p>          “Maybe too long,” Maggie said.  “The apartment was empty.  No one had been in there for days.  The plants were drooping, the mailbox was full, and there was a pile of newspapers in front of the apartment door.”</p><p>          “What did you do?” Dr. Quest asked.</p><p>          “It was late, so I tried to get some sleep.  I went to her office first thing Friday morning,” Maggie told them.  “It was a week since I’d last heard from Mom.”</p><p>          “Did you discover anything useful on your visit to your mother’s workplace?” Hadji asked.  Maggie shook her head.</p><p>          “I asked around, but no one had seen her or heard from her all week.  Some of her coworkers were worried, too, especially since I didn’t know where she was.  I used my mom’s work phone and called the police right then and there.”</p><p>          “What did the police say?” Jessie asked next.</p><p>          “They wanted to wait forty-eight hours before declaring her a missing person,” Maggie said.</p><p>          “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jonny said.  “Didn’t they understand she’d been missing for seven <em>days</em>?”  Maggie shrugged, then shook her head.  There were tears in her eyes.</p><p>          “By then I was crying, and most of the office was watching the drama.  Then my mom’s boss stepped in,” Maggie said, wiping her tears away with a sniffle.  “He pretty much ordered the police to send someone immediately.  He was very nice to me, and he made sure the officers who arrived took the situation seriously.”</p><p>          “I’m assuming the Kansas City police got in touch with the Omaha department to track down your mother’s friend,” Dr. Quest said.  Maggie nodded.</p><p>          “Mom never arrived in Omaha.  I spoke to Janet myself after the police had questioned her,” Maggie continued.  “She said Mom was supposed to call her and let her know when she left Kansas City, but Mom never made that call.”</p><p>          “So something happened to her before she could leave Kansas City,” Jessie guessed.  “But whatever happened, it was after she left the apartment.”</p><p>          “Yes,” Maggie confirmed.  “Kansas City police couldn’t even find her car.  There was just nothing.  No leads.  No clues.  My mom was just…gone.”  Maggie sighed.  “The case was turned over to the FBI after a week.  They couldn’t find anything more than the police.”</p><p>          “Not a single shred of evidence?” Dr. Quest asked.  Maggie shook her head.  “People don’t just vanish.”</p><p>          “There has to be something,” Jonny said.  Maggie’s expression turned thoughtful, and she looked up hopefully.</p><p>          “There- there is one thing,” she said slowly.  “I tried telling the FBI agent who interviewed me, but he just laughed and said I had a big imagination.”</p><p>          “We’ll listen,” Jonny said, exchanging a knowing look with Hadji and Jessie.  “We’ve been accused of having big imaginations before.”  Maggie raised her eyebrows at them, then seemed to decide to trust them.</p><p>          “A few years ago I happened to see a document on my mom’s desk.  It caught my attention because it had my dad’s name on it.  It said ‘Central Intelligence Agency’ on the header.”</p><p>          “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Race interjected.  He exchanged a look with Dr. Quest, and Benton nodded.  “Tell us about this document,” he instructed.</p><p>          “I didn’t really understand the purpose of the document, and the handwritten notes were cryptic,” Maggie admitted.  “It gave the impression my dad once worked for the CIA.  It kept mentioning an investigation of some kind.  And the letter C was frequently used throughout the document.  I think it stood for a person or a group of people that was under investigation.  That’s all I can really remember about it.”</p><p>          “Well, it’s something, at any rate,” Race said.</p><p>          “I think my mother suspected someone connected to the CIA was responsible for what happened to my dad.  I also think my mom knew more than she let on.  I think she was afraid they might come after her, too.  And I think they did.”</p><p>          “That could explain why your mom moved you around so much,” Jonny theorized.  “She was trying to protect you.”  Maggie nodded, turning to Dr. Quest. </p><p>          “I got sick of sitting around waiting for other people to find my mom,” Maggie said.  “So I took matters into my own hands and went through her personal effects.  I found the name of her lawyer and got in touch with him.  He told me about the will.”  She pointed at the papers Dr. Quest had set aside from the envelope.  “It was eye opening, to say the least.  And when I realized <em>you</em> were the Benton Quest Mom named in her will, I knew I had to come here.  I can’t find my mom on my own, and no one else will listen to me.”  Maggie took a deep breath.  “Please help me, Dr. Quest.  I have nowhere else to turn.”</p><p>          “I don’t know what to say,” Dr. Quest replied at length.  “I don’t know what I can do.  I need some time to think.”</p><p>          “I think we could all use some time to think,” Race agreed.  “Besides, it’s getting late.  Maybe we should continue this in the morning.</p><p>          “I think you’re right,” Dr. Quest agreed.  “Jessie, will you please show Miss Hardy to a guest room?”</p><p>          “Of Course, Dr. Quest,” Jessie agreed, getting up from the table.  “Come with me, Maggie, I’ll show you the way.”</p><p>          “Okay, just a minute,” Maggie agreed, then turned to Dr. Quest.  “Thank you so much for listening, Dr. Quest.  It’s more than I expected.”</p><p>          “You’re welcome, Miss Hardy,” he answered.  Then she left with Jessie.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          The next morning dawned sunny and warm, a fine spring day, fresh and clean after the rain the night before.  Maggie woke early, surprised she had slept at all.  She realized how exhausted she must have been.  She quickly dressed in jeans and a pale, yellow T-shirt, then went downstairs to the kitchen where she was sure she’d find members of the household.  Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji were already there, each in various stages of breakfasting.</p><p>          “Did you sleep well last night, Miss Hardy,” asked Hadji as he poured some milk over his dry cereal.</p><p>          “Better than I’ve slept in weeks,” Maggie admitted.  “You have no idea how relieving it is to have someone listen to you, and believe you, too.  But I’m still worried Dr. Quest can’t, or <em>won’t</em>, help me.”</p><p>          “You don’t know my dad,” said Jonny, dropping his spoon in his empty cereal bowl, finished with his breakfast.  “He goes out of his way to help people.  Besides, you’re family.  He’d never turn you out.”</p><p>          “Do you really think he’ll try and help me?” Maggie asked.</p><p>          “Yeah.  Why wouldn’t he?” Jonny countered.  Maggie sighed.</p><p>          “You have to admit the whole thing is hard to believe.  Even <em>I</em> find it hard to believe,” Maggie admitted.  “I half expected Dr. Quest to throw me out last night.  He’s pretty well-known, and I didn’t know how he’d react to all this.  Why do you think my mom never contacted him?”</p><p>          “I wondered about that, Miss Hardy,” interrupted Dr. Quest, walking into the kitchen.  “And you’re right.  I might have had Race escort you off the premises when Sheriff Olson first brought you here.  However, I knew about my mother’s previous marriage and her daughter.  If I hadn’t, I might have sent you away.”</p><p>          “You knew my mother’s name,” Maggie remembered.  “I know I didn’t mention it before you asked to see the will.  And you asked for ‘Laura’s will’ specifically.”  Dr. Quest nodded with a smile.</p><p>          “I thought you noticed that,” he said.</p><p>          “If you knew you had a sister,” Jonny accused his father, “why didn’t you ever tell me?  Did you ever think I might want to know?”</p><p>          “I never knew her, Jonny,” Dr. Quest said, understanding his son’s hurt tone.  “I never thought I would.  And I never expected that part of my family would come looking for me.  It seems I was wrong.”</p><p>          “I’m so glad that you knew,” Maggie said.  Dr. Quest nodded.</p><p>          “Now I’d like to find my half-sister, if I can.  I’d like for you to stay here with us, Miss Hardy.”  Maggie nodded.</p><p>          “Please call me Maggie,” she said.  “And, thank-you, I will.”  Benton nodded.</p><p>          “Jonny, why don’t you and Hadji and Jessie show Maggie around the house.  Race and I will be in my study.  And remember-”</p><p>          “Stay out of trouble,” Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji said as one.  Maggie smiled.</p><p>          “Now, finish your breakfast,” Dr. Quest said, and disappeared into the hall.</p><p>         </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Later that morning, Jonny, Jessie, Hadji, and Maggie had finished going over the house and grounds of the Quest Compound, and were crossing the lawn, headed back to the house.  Bandit was warming up to Maggie, magnanimously allowing her to pet him, due mostly to Jonny’s behavior toward her.  Jonny was ecstatic that he had a cousin, and he wanted to learn as much about her as possible.</p><p>          “You’re twenty?” Jonny asked, trying to think back to the night before.  Maggie nodded. “Then you’re four years older than me.”  Jonny flashed a grin at Hadji.  “She’s even got you beat by two years,” Jonny said.  Hadji shrugged.</p><p>          “Physical age has little to do with the relative age of the mind,” he said.  Jonny and Jessie stared at him.</p><p>          “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jonny asked.  Maggie laughed.</p><p>          “He means, age isn’t a barrier between people with common interests,” Maggie clarified.  “And really, four years isn’t much, in the grand scheme of things.”</p><p>          “Maggie makes a lot more sense,” Jonny said to Jessie.  Jessie laughed.  Jonny turned to Maggie.  “Which city was your favorite to live in?” Jonny asked her.  “That was a pretty long list you gave last night.”</p><p>          “Hm,” Maggie said thoughtfully.  “Minneapolis.  I liked Minnesota.  And we stayed long enough to make friends and have a normal life.  I was sad to leave.”</p><p>          “You don’t like to travel?” Jonny asked.  “We travel a lot.  We’ve been all over the world.”</p><p>          “I don’t know,” Maggie answered with a shrug.  “I’ve had to move around a lot, but I’ve never gone anywhere just to visit.  It was frustrating most of the time, having to move two or three times a year.  I never got to know anyone.  That’s probably why I loved Minnesota so much.  It was different there.”</p><p>          “Well, what do you like?” Jonny asked, running out of patience.  “There’s got to be something we have in common besides a grandmother.”  Maggie laughed.</p><p>          “I’m sure we do, too,” she agreed.  “I like to read,” she volunteered.  “I took skating lessons for years in Minnesota.  I still like getting out on the ice, though I don’t do it as much as I used to.  I like movies and bowling and pizza and horseback riding and photography and my favorite holiday is Christmas.”  Jonny laughed.</p><p>          “Okay,” he said, “That’s a good start.  I think I can work with that.”</p><p>          “Hey, Maggie?” Jessie interrupted.  “What do you know about computers?”</p><p>          “I can use one, but that’s about it.  Why?”</p><p>          “I think I know what you are thinking,” Hadji said, smiling.</p><p>          “Yeah!” said Jonny, “Let’s show Maggie what we like to do with <em>our</em> spare time.”  Jonny grabbed Maggie’s arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction, toward the lighthouse perched on the edge of the cliffs.  Five minutes later, Hadji sat at the keyboard of the main Questworld terminal in Questworld Center.  His hands flew as he accessed the Virtual Reality program.  Jonny sat Maggie down in an unusual chair in the center of the room, facing a wall of monitors.  She watched as a digital, three-dimensional, computerized image of herself appeared on the monitors. </p><p>          “Before you can enter Questworld, you must be given a body, and your voice must be registered so Iris will obey your voice commands,” Hadji explained.</p><p>          “Whatever you say,” said a confused Maggie.  “What is this- Questworld, anyway?  And who’s Iris?”</p><p>          “You’re about to find out,” Jessie said putting a strange device on her head.  “Sit here and prepare to be amazed.”</p><p>          “I’m going in with her,” Jonny said, sitting in another of the unusual chairs.  “Someone has to show her the ropes.”</p><p>          “Ready?” asked Hadji.  Jessie nodded.  “Subjects Jonny Quest and Maggie Hardy, going HOT.” </p><p>          Maggie was suddenly plunged into a different world.  She knew that she was still sitting in that chair in the lighthouse of the Quest Compound, but at the same time, she wasn’t.</p><p>          “Wow!” she exclaimed, “This is unreal!”</p><p>          “Nah,” said Jonny, appearing before her in the strange world.  “This is virtual reality.”  He flashed her a crooked grin.</p><p>          “This is so cool.  I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”  Maggie looked down at her hands and feet, and examined herself critically.  She wore the usual suit of armor, hers a dark metallic pink compared to Jonny’s dark metallic blue, but she was amazed at the anatomically correct structure of her virtual body.  It looked like her, and felt like her, but she knew it was only a replica of her real self.  She was completely amazed.  “Who made this?”</p><p>          “My dad,” said Jonny.  “He created the whole thing, but the game we’re going to play was programmed by Jessie, Hadji, and I.”</p><p>          “Jonny, we should set the game at the easiest level for Maggie.  She <em>is</em> a beginner, you know,” suggested Jessie from the control room.</p><p>          “That is wise,” added Hadji, “To get her sea legs in a manner of speaking.”</p><p>          “Okay.  Whatever, Hadj.  Now, Maggie, whenever you want to access a weapon or vehicle in the game you give the command to Iris.  Iris is like the computer’s brain, and you can talk to her,” explained Jonny.</p><p>          “Are you ready?” asked Jessie.  Maggie nodded and Jonny gave the thumbs up sign.</p><p>          “Iris, access Maze Demons, level one,” Jonny said.</p><p>          “Accessed, game, Maze Demons.  Level of difficulty, one,” came the automated voice of Iris.  “Time begins...now.”  Maggie was transported to an old English garden maze.  She felt overwhelmed as she looked around.  It was so real, and detailed, yet obviously computer generated.</p><p>          “I think I know why you call it Maze Demons,” Maggie remarked.</p><p>          “Why?” asked Jonny.</p><p>          “Here comes one now!  Duck!”  Both Jonny and Maggie dropped to the stone path as a streak of red rushed by them.  “Let’s get out of here!”  The two cousins jumped up and ran down a path lined with wild, tall hedges.</p><p>          “That was a Red Demon,” said Jonny.  “They’re the easiest to defeat.  This level only uses the Red Demon.”</p><p>          “How do you defeat them?” asked Maggie.</p><p>          “With an ion gun.  Iris, access ion guns.”  Maggie was suddenly holding onto what she guessed must be an ion gun. </p><p>          “Can we get hurt in Quest World?” Maggie suddenly asked.</p><p>          “Not a chance,” said Jonny.</p><p>          “Then let’s kick some demon butt,” Maggie said enthusiastically.</p><p>          “Slammin’!” Jonny responded.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Revealed Past</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Two:  Revealed Past</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Location:  Quest Compound, Rockport, Maine</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          “What have you kids been up to?” Race asked as they came into the kitchen for lunch that afternoon.</p>
<p>          “Maze Demons,” Jessie replied.  “You know, Maggie isn’t half bad for a beginner.  Even Jonny thinks that she’s good.”</p>
<p>          “Well, fur on a catfish.  That is something,” Race said laughing, “Jonny usually has something <em>else</em> to say about other players’ abilities.”</p>
<p>          “No, really, Race,” said Jonny, “She’s good.”</p>
<p>          “You said that I couldn’t really get hurt,” said Maggie, “so it’s easy to be reckless and take chances.”</p>
<p>          “I would not be so sure of that,” Hadji stated.  “Strange things have happened in Questworld.  Though, only when someone has tampered with the programming.”</p>
<p>          “You see,” continued Jessie, “the reason you can’t get hurt in Questworld is because it’s programmed not to harm anyone.  If it can be programmed <em>not</em> to harm, it can be programmed <em>to</em> harm.”</p>
<p>          “I think I understand,” Maggie said slowly.</p>
<p>          “It’s more than that, though,” Jonny said.  “She’s got unbelievable reflexes.  And she’s fast, and she’s flexible.  Almost like an athlete.”  Maggie started to laugh.</p>
<p>          “Good deduction,” Maggie commented.  “I am an athlete, or was.  Skating lessons, remember?”  Jonny nodded uncertainly.  “Figure skating,” Maggie clarified.  Jonny suddenly understood.  “I was getting good, but I didn’t have the ambition for serious competition, though my coach tried really hard to convince me I should.”  The conversation was interrupted by the ringing telephone.  Race answered.</p>
<p>          “Quest residence, may I help you?” he paused a moment for the reply.  “Just a moment.  Maggie, it’s for you.”</p>
<p>          “Me?” Maggie was surprised when he handed the phone to her.  She took it. “Hello?” she said into the receiver.  She went pale and started shaking all over when the person on the other end began speaking.  “Mom!?  Don’t-” She stopped mid-sentence.  A look of sheer disbelief crossed her face.  Then, suddenly, the dial tone was heard.  Whoever it had been, they’d hung up.</p>
<p>          “Maggie, who was that?” Jonny asked in concern.  “Was that your mother?”  Maggie could only shake her head.  “Who was it then?”  Maggie took a deep breath.</p>
<p>          “Bring Dr. Quest in here right away.  He has to hear this.”  Hadji ran from the room to get him.  They were back faster than Maggie had expected.</p>
<p>          “What is it?” asked Dr. Quest.</p>
<p>          “That phone call, that guy has seen my mother!”  Maggie said in a rush.  “He told me that ‘they’ were after the papers.  Then he said ‘they’ knew where I was and I should leave right away!”</p>
<p>          “Did you talk to your mother?” Dr. Quest asked with urgency.</p>
<p>          “No, but the guy on the other end said ‘Silver Bells.’  My mother sent him to give me that message!” Maggie exclaimed.</p>
<p>          “Silver Bells?”  asked Jonny in confusion.</p>
<p>          “In Toronto there was a store at a mall called Silver Bells.  Every time my mom and I passed it we’d start to sing that song.  When we moved away, Mom said that if there was ever an emergency, we could get word to each other, and ‘Silver Bells’ would be our signal that the message was legit.  The guy on the phone was a messenger from my mom.”  Maggie could see no one doubted her.</p>
<p>          “What did he say?” Race wanted to know.  “Try to be exact.”</p>
<p>          “He said, ‘Silver Bells, Maggie.  I’m helping your mother.  She wants you to know they’re after the papers.  She said they know where you are.  You need to leave.  Get out of there before they get you- for all our sakes.’  Then he hung up.”  Suddenly Maggie gasped.  She looked at Dr. Quest.  “She’s still alive,” she breathed.</p>
<p>          “That confirms it,” Dr. Quest agreed.  “And whomever is responsible for her disappearance is apparently targeting you.  Did the caller say who ‘they’ were?”  Maggie shook her head.  “No matter,” Benton said decisively.  “In any case, they know you’re here.  More than likely, they also know your mother is my half-sister, which means we’re all at risk.”  He exchanged a glance with Race.  Race nodded briefly.  “Go pack a small bag everyone.  Then meet at the garage.  Race, call ahead and make sure the Dragonfly is prepped when we arrive.  We’re going to the Florida Compound.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Location:  In flight, aboard aircraft Dragonfly</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          “Did you bring everything with you?” Dr. Quest asked Maggie.  “I have to be sure that you forgot nothing.  Whatever the kidnappers want, it appears you have it.”</p>
<p>          “I brought everything,” assured Maggie.  “But I don’t understand.  What do they want?  I only brought some clothing and toiletries, and a few photographs.  Everything in the envelope the sheriff gave you is available through public records, except my mother’s will.”</p>
<p>          “I was hoping you knew what they wanted,” Dr. Quest admitted thoughtfully.</p>
<p>          “I’ll bet that whatever it is, it’s hidden in your stuff,” said Jonny.</p>
<p>          “It is possible that Maggie does not have it at all,” Hadji pointed out.  “It could be anywhere.”</p>
<p>          “That’s true,” replied Jessie, “but it doesn’t hurt to look.  If it is here, that’s great.  If not, then that’s one less place it could be.”</p>
<p>          “Go ahead and look,” Maggie sighed as she pulled her bags from the storage compartment she’d stowed them in.  The passengers of the Dragonfly were quiet as they cut apart her bags, checking in the linings, and looking through her things.  Maggie took the backs off the two framed photos, looking for hidden slips of paper.</p>
<p>          “Maybe something we can’t see is printed over a picture,” Jonny thought when the search turned up nothing.  “Maybe we could scan them into Questworld and have Iris run some schematics.  And the documents from the folder, too.”</p>
<p>          “Good idea, Son,” Benton said thoughtfully.  “The documents from the folder are just copies that were faxed to Sheriff Olson, but the pictures might hold a clue or two.”  He turned to Maggie.  “Iris can do things that we cannot.”</p>
<p>          “We can use this laptop,” Hadji said, pulling out the portable computer, “however, it would be easier to wait until we reach the Florida Compound.”</p>
<p>          “Maybe we should rethink our plans,” Maggie said slowly.  “The phone call this morning bothers me.  He said ‘they’ knew where I was.  That means ‘they’ must be keeping tabs on me.  If they found me in Maine, they could trace me to Florida.”</p>
<p>          “Particularly so, if Dr. Quest was correct when he suggested they may be aware of your family ties,” Hadji observed.<br/>          “They might even get there before us,” Jonny theorized.</p>
<p>          “You know, Jonny,” Jessie said, “Sometimes you actually put that bleached head of yours to good use.”</p>
<p>          “What do you think, Race?” Dr. Quest asked.</p>
<p>          “I vote for a change of plans,” Race replied from the pilot’s seat.</p>
<p>          “Then let’s consider our next logical step,” Benton thought aloud.  “Perhaps we should pay a visit to Washington D.C.  What better place to research Jack Hardy’s connection to the CIA?”</p>
<p>          “Washington, huh?” Race said.  “We’ll be at the Florida landing strip in forty-five minutes.  It’ll take at least that long to get clearance for a flight to D.C.  We’ll need to refuel, too.  One way or the other we’re going to have to land in Florida.”</p>
<p>          “That’s all right, Race,” Dr. Quest said.  “As long as we don’t go to Palm Key.”</p>
<p>          “Sure thing, Doc,” Race replied.  “That definitely doesn’t sound like the best thing to do right now, all things considered.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Location:   Washington D.C.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          The Dragonfly eventually landed in Washington without mishap.  Dr. Quest had a hotel suite already arranged before their arrival.  They left the airport by taxi, and went straight to the hotel to plan their next move. </p>
<p>          “A search will be easier if we had an idea how far back in the records we must search,” Hadji said, trying to work out the specifics of the problem at hand.  “When would your father most likely have been actively working with the CIA?”  Maggie thought for a moment. </p>
<p>          “Dad was working for a newspaper when I was born,” Maggie said.  “At least, that’s what my mother told me.  I suppose that could have been a cover.”</p>
<p>          “It was a good one, too,” Race interjected.  “A newspaper man is convincing in almost any situation when you’re doing that kind of work.”  Maggie looked at him quizzically, not quite sure what to make of that statement.  She couldn’t quite figure Race Bannon out.</p>
<p>          “Well, why don’t we just focus on the five years leading up to the day Maggie was born,” Jessie suggested.  “I think it’s a good bet, and I’m not sure if we’ll be dealing with computer files, or old-school paper files.”</p>
<p>          “It’s an excellent starting point, Jessie,” Dr. Quest agreed.</p>
<p>          “I just have one question,” Jonny announced.  “How the heck are we going to get into the CIA files in the first place?”  That garnered some blank stares.  “We could always try to hack our way into the computer files, but maybe there’s an easier way.  How about it, Pop?  Do you know anyone who can get us access?”</p>
<p>          “Yes… I think so.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Location:  CIA Headquarters, Washington D.C.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          The following morning, all six of them were sitting in the office of Agent Clara Parcell.  The office was extraordinarily neat and organized, completely free of personal effects.  On first glance, someone might think the office was vacant.  The only indication that it was not was the agent sitting behind the desk.</p>
<p>          “What can I do for you, Dr. Quest?” Agent Parcell asked. </p>
<p>          “I need some information on one of your agents, from about twenty years ago,” Dr. Quest began.  “We were hoping we could see Jack Hardy’s service records.”</p>
<p>          “That’s a big favor,” Agent Parcell said seriously.  Dr. Quest nodded.</p>
<p>          “This young lady,” Benton continued, gesturing to Maggie, “is the daughter of my half-sister.  My sister recently disappeared, coincidently twenty years after the same fate befell her husband, Jack Hardy.  We have reason to believe he was working for the Agency.  We’re hoping we might find a clue that will lead us to my sister, and perhaps answer questions about her husband.”  Agent Parcell looked dubious.  “You do owe me a favor, Clara,” Benton reminded politely.</p>
<p>          “If you’re calling in that favor,” Agent Parcell said, “then I might be able to help you.  But I can’t guarantee anything.”</p>
<p>          “I understand,” Dr. Quest said.  “Thank-you, for whatever assistance you can provide.”  Agent Parcell nodded.</p>
<p>          “I have a meeting in ten minutes.  No one will disturb this office before I return from the meeting.  I can give you that long to search the files,” Agent Parcell allowed.  “You can search anything I have clearance for.  Just use this password when the system prompts you,” she continued, grabbing a note pad and writing out an odd combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.  “I’ll change my password after you leave.”  She looked up at Dr. Quest.  “That’s the best I can do, and that much will cost me my job and my reputation if you get caught.”</p>
<p>          “We’ll be discreet,” Dr. Quest promised.  Agent Parcell nodded.  Then she got up to leave for her meeting.  Once she had gone, Hadji and Jessie connected the laptop to the Agent’s computer terminal.  Dr. Quest sat down at Agent Parcell’s console while Hadji sat down at the laptop, ready to download whatever they found.</p>
<p>          “Start with a past personnel file search on Jack Hardy.  That will give us a good start on his history,” Race suggested.  Dr. Quest brought up a search method and typed in ‘Jack Hardy.’ </p>
<p>         </p>
<p>FILE NOT FOUND</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          “Try ‘Hardy, Jack.’  Most files go last name first,” said Maggie.</p>
<p>         </p>
<p>FILE NOT FOUND</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          “How about a middle initial?” asked Jessie. </p>
<p>          “I don’t know if he has a middle name.  No one else in my family does,” Maggie said.  “Maybe his real name was Jackson.  I’m not certain Jack was his given name.  I think it was, but…”  Maggie shrugged.  “We don’t have the packet Sheriff Olsen gave you on hand, or I could look it up on the marriage license.”  Dr. Quest typed in ‘Jackson Hardy.’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>FILE NOT FOUND</p>
<p>                   </p>
<p>          They tried nearly twenty names and came up empty handed.  They tried a closest-match search.  Still, they found nothing.  After an hour of searching, they were running out of ideas, and time.</p>
<p>          “Maggie, it seems your father never worked for the CIA.  If he did, files pertaining to his work are highly classified, or they have been erased.  They simply don’t exist,” said Dr. Quest.</p>
<p>          “There has to be something,” Maggie argued in frustration.  “I saw that CIA document.  His name was on it in black and white.”</p>
<p>          “You did say you saw it some time ago.  Perhaps you read it wrong,” Hadji said.  “Perhaps it was not a CIA document at all, but something entirely different.”  Maggie adamantly refuted that suggestion.  She knew what she had seen.</p>
<p>          While everyone argued with Maggie about the document, Jessie had a sudden thought.  She sat in the chair recently vacated by Dr. Quest and reopened the search option and typed in the name ‘Laura Hardy.’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>FILE NOT FOUND</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          Jessie was not to be deterred.  “What was your mother’s maiden name again?” she asked Maggie.</p>
<p>          “Franklin,” Maggie answered absentmindedly.  No one took particular notice of what Jessie was doing.  Jessie typed in the name ‘Laura Franklin.’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>FILE FOUND</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          “Bingo!” she said.  “Hey guys!  Look at this!”  The others crowded in around Jessie.  “I had a hunch and put in Laura Franklin, and jackpot.  It was Maggie’s mother who worked for the CIA, not her father.”</p>
<p>          “Wow,” Maggie said as she watched the pages of her mother’s CIA history scroll past her on the computer screen.  “I had no idea any of this ever happened.  Stealing Russian documents during the Cold War, money laundering crackdowns, sabotaging South American drug lords...” </p>
<p>          “Some of this stuff is amazing,” said Jonny.  “I’ll bet that even Race hasn’t done things quite like this.”  Race gave Jonny a sideways glance, but the sixteen-year-old paid no attention to him.</p>
<p>          “Are you downloading all of this, Hadji,” Dr. Quest.  Hadji nodded.  “We can read through it later at the hotel.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Location:  Hotel Suite, Washington D.C.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          Later that night, in the hotel suite, Maggie and Dr. Quest sat before the laptop reading through Laura Franklin Hardy’s service records.  Jonny, Jessie, Hadji, and Race were watching a late-night movie on TV.  Bandit sat on Maggie’s lap, content to let her pet him absentmindedly.</p>
<p>          “I just don’t know what to think,” Maggie sighed.  “I never knew about any of this.  Mom never said a word.  It must have taken years to build a record like this.”</p>
<p>          “Yes, I quite agree,” Dr. Quest replied.  “When did she start with the CIA?”</p>
<p>          “She probably started right after college,” Maggie reasoned.  “It says here she began training when she was 22,” Maggie read off the computer.  “She was at the top of her class, and was put into a special operations training after one year.”</p>
<p>          “This is interesting,” Dr. Quest commented, paging through the computer records, pausing suddenly.  “This report was filed 15 years ago.  Maggie, you were five years old.”</p>
<p>          “What?  You mean she was still working for the CIA after I was born?” Maggie asked, shocked.</p>
<p>          “It looks that way,” Dr. Quest replied.  He contemplated the information on the screen for a moment.  “This explains why you moved constantly.  Your mother had assignments in every city you named the other night.”  Benton sat back and leveled a satisfied gaze on Maggie.  “I believe we’ve just found a major lead.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          Laura Franklin Hardy was the topic of conversation over room service early the next morning.  Maggie was struggling, trying to come to terms with her mother’s secret life, and trying to adapt to the implications it held for her own life.  Nothing she knew was really what it had always seemed, and there was precious little time to adjust to the changes.  She let Dr. Quest explain what they’d learned.</p>
<p>          “Basically, every city Maggie’s ever lived in was somewhere her mother was assigned,” Jonny observed during a lull in the discussion.  “And every assignment was completed within seven months- except <em>one</em>.  Minneapolis.”  Jonny had found the lead they’d been looking for.</p>
<p>          “Jonny’s right,” Race said.  “Judging by her records, Laura Franklin specialized in domestic espionages, and she was really good at what she did.  So, why’d it take her so long in Minneapolis?”</p>
<p>          “Assuming, of course,” Hadji put in, “that there was an assignment at all.”</p>
<p>          “Good point,” Race said.  “If Laura was off of active duty for some reason, she might have stayed put as long as she could for Maggie’s benefit.”</p>
<p>          “But sadly, not,” Jessie countered.  She was sitting in front of the laptop, scrolling through the documents they’d taken from the CIA files.</p>
<p>          “You found something, Jessie?” Dr. Quest asked.</p>
<p>          “I’m looking right at a file that has Laura Franklin Hardy on assignment in Minneapolis, Minnesota.”  Jessie typed a command into the computer.  “Iris says there are more, lots more files listed for Minneapolis,” Jessie continued.  “The dates are spread out.  There was something there, and for several years.”</p>
<p>          “Jessie,” Hadji said, joining her at the laptop, “access every file pertaining to Minneapolis.”</p>
<p>          “Got it,” Jessie said.  “What did you have in mind next?”</p>
<p>          “Compile a search on common factors: names, dates, places…” he replied.</p>
<p>          “I think I know what you have in mind,” Dr. Quest said thoughtfully.  “If I’m right, we’re going to pay a visit to Minnesota.”</p>
<p>          “That would be my thinking,” Hadji said.  He turned to Maggie.  “What did your mother do while living in Minnesota?” he asked her.</p>
<p>          “All I know about it is that she worked as a secretary,” Maggie said.  Then she sighed.  “But that was probably just her cover.”</p>
<p>          “This is interesting,” Jessie announced a moment later.  “I’ve already got a list of matches, and someone named Connor Hovand III appears in nine of the files alone- no, ten.  Iris is still searching the files.”</p>
<p>          “Who the heck is he?” asked Jonny, turning toward Maggie.  “Have you ever heard of him?”  Maggie shook her head.</p>
<p>          “Never,” she said.  “What do the files say about him?”</p>
<p>          “I’m looking,” Jessie said, Hadji reading over her shoulder.</p>
<p>          “Not much,” Hadji said with a shake of his head.  “Only that he is the owner of a large corporation called Hovand Industries.  It appears your mother was assigned to investigate the company.”</p>
<p>          “I think that might be where she worked as a secretary, at Hovand Industries,” Maggie said thoughtfully.</p>
<p>          “What was she supposed to find out?” Jonny asked.</p>
<p>          “It states ‘investigation for unusual activity’,” Hadji replied.</p>
<p>          “So, when do we leave, Doc?” asked Race.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Location:  Minneapolis, Minnesota</p>
<p> </p>
<p>          It was well before noon when the Dragonfly landed in Minneapolis.  Maggie had an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.  It had been some years since she had last seen the city, but it still felt like home.  She was quick to point out landmarks as they drove from the airport into the city.</p>
<p>          “There are so many places I could take you if we were here on a pleasure trip.  I’d probably take you to Duluth on the shore of Lake Superior.  It is one of the most beautiful spots in the state,” Maggie said.  “The camping up there is great.”</p>
<p>          “Did you go there with your mom?” asked Jonny.  Maggie nodded, smiling.</p>
<p>          “For a week every summer.  It was so much fun,” she said.</p>
<p>          “Do you know where Hovand Industries is?” Race interrupted as they reached downtown.  “It’s early enough, we could still catch this Connor Hovand III before business shuts down for the weekend.”  Maggie shook her head.</p>
<p>          “We’ll have to look it up in the Yellow Pages.  I don’t remember, and even if I did, they could have relocated,” Maggie said.  They stopped at a gas station phone booth to find a listing.</p>
<p>          “Here it is,” said Dr. Quest, locating the listing in the Business pages.  He showed Maggie the address. </p>
<p>          “If we head toward the river, we’ll find one street,” she said after consulting the street sign on the nearest corner.  “I’m not sure of the cross street, though.”</p>
<p>          Maggie’s knowledge was accurate, and it turned out the one-way street took them in the right direction.  Race parked the car in the nearest ramp, and then they made their way into the Hovand Industries building.  They approached the receptionist and waited in line to see her.  After twenty minutes they got their turn.</p>
<p>          “Can you tell me if Connor Hovand is in the building today?” Dr. Quest asked the middle-aged woman behind the desk.</p>
<p>          “Mr. Hovand?  Of course, he is,” she said in irritation.  “Why do you ask?”</p>
<p>          “We would like to see Mr. Hovand.  You may tell him that Dr. Benton Quest and party would like to speak with him.”</p>
<p>          “I can’t do to that.  You’ll have to call his office and speak with his secretary,” the receptionist said in a haughty voice.  “Everyone important knows that.”</p>
<p>          “Then please connect me with Mr. Hovand’s secretary,” Dr. Quest requested patiently.  He stood there, staring at her, waiting until she picked up her phone.  She dialed a number and waited for an answer.</p>
<p>          “Yes, Miss Trencher, I have a Dr. Benton Quest here at the reception desk who wishes to see Mr. Hovand.”  The receptionist waited for a reply on the other end.  “I didn’t think so.”  She listened for a moment.  “I don’t believe that these people will go away without a word from Mr. Hovand directly.  Perhaps you should buzz Mr. Hovand and ask him.  It <em>would</em> eliminate a security personnel hassle.”  She waited while the secretary spoke again.  “Thank-you, Miss Trencher.”  The receptionist pulled the receiver from her ear.  “Miss Trencher will speak to Mr. Hovand, but he is a very busy man and I have no doubt that he will send you people away.”</p>
<p>          “We shall see,” said Dr. Quest confidently.</p>
<p>          “Oh, Yes Miss Trencher.  That’s what he said.  Dr. Benton Quest and party.”  The receptionist looked surprised.   “Of course.  I’ll send them right up.”  She hung up the phone and turned to the group.  “Mr. Hovand will see you right away.  Take the elevator to the twenty-sixth floor.  Miss Trencher will meet you there.”</p>
<p>          “Thank-you,” said Dr. Quest, turning toward the elevators.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Hidden Envelope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Three:  Hidden Envelope</p><p> </p><p>          When they reached the twenty-sixth floor, a pretty woman with raven black hair was waiting for them.  “I am Miss Amelia Trencher.  I’m Mr. Hovand’s secretary.  Follow me, please.”</p><p>          “Thank-you,” said Dr. Quest.  From the moment Miss Trencher spoke, every one of them was uneasy.  The cause wasn’t apparent, but the atmosphere suddenly felt tense and stifling. </p><p>          Miss Trencher led them down a long hallway toward the other side of the building.  She stopped in front of a frosted-glass door.  The word ‘President’ was lettered on it in black and gold.  Miss Trencher rapped smartly on the door then opened it just enough to poke her head inside the room beyond it. </p><p>          “Dr. Quest, Sir,” she announced.  There was an inaudible reply from the other side.  “Right this way,” Miss Trencher said, holding the door for them.  They entered the room.</p><p>          “Ah, Dr. Quest, how good to see you.  I wasn’t expecting you,” said the middle-aged man who sat behind the huge mahogany desk.  He wasn’t exactly a big man, but he had a somewhat stocky build and a decent height when he stood to shake Dr. Quest’s hand.  His dark brown hair was beginning to gray, and his green eyes watched them shrewdly; indeed, he was the ideal picture of a successful industrial giant.  Outwardly he seemed genuine, but his pleasant façade did not quite reach his piercing gaze.</p><p>          “Mr. Hovand, let me introduce you to my companions,” Dr. Quest said.  “These are my sons, Jonny and Hadji.  My associate, Race Bannon, and his daughter Jessie.  And this is Maggie.”</p><p>          “Nice to meet you,” Mr. Hovand said coolly, but not impolitely.</p><p>          “I admit this visit is unexpected, but the purpose for this visit couldn’t wait,” Dr. Quest said.</p><p>          “I see,” Mr. Hovand said.  “Tell me, Dr. Quest, when was the last time we spoke?  I can’t seem to recall…?”</p><p>          “I believe it was that conference in Washington, the one you walked out of six months ago,” Dr. Quest reminded.</p><p>          “Yes, so it was.”  Connor Hovand’s polite façade faded in degree.  It was clear the conference was not a pleasant memory.  He sat down behind his desk, indicating his guests should sit as well.  “You said you had a purpose for this visit?”</p><p>          “Yes,” Dr. Quest replied.  “I’m looking for information on a woman named Laura Franklin.  She went missing a month ago, and I need to get in touch with her.  I’ve learned she once worked here as a secretary.  I’d like to speak to whomever employed her, if I could.  He or she may be able to provide useful information.”</p><p>          “I’m sorry, Dr. Quest, but I simply can’t help you,” Mr. Hovand said, fidgeting absently with some papers on his desk.  “Past employee records are unavailable to the public.  There isn’t anything I can do.”</p><p>          “Are you sure you can’t do anything?” Maggie spoke up.</p><p>          “Yes, Miss- er?”</p><p>          “Miss Hardy,” Maggie supplied.</p><p>          “Yes, Miss Hardy,” Mr. Hovand answered, “I’m sure.”  His gaze lingered curiously on Maggie.  She was discomfited by it, and the others found his interest uncomfortable, too.</p><p>          “Perhaps you could make a personal inquiry,” Dr. Quest suggested, drawing Mr. Hovand’s attention away from Maggie.  “Someone must remember Laura Franklin.  She left four years ago, which is by no means beyond recollection.”</p><p>          “That can’t be done.  I’m sorry, but company policy prohibits such actions.”</p><p>          “I see,” said Dr. Quest, irritated.  Connor Hovand was maddening.</p><p>          “What about a small notice in a weekly news bulletin?” Jessie suggested.</p><p>          “I’m afraid we don’t have a company bulletin.  I’m terribly sorry,” said Mr. Hovand.  His patience was visibly running out.</p><p>          “A memo, then,” Race tried on a similar tack as his daughter.</p><p>          “Matters of a personal nature don’t warrant a memo,” Mr. Hovand said flatly.</p><p>          “You expect us to believe the president of the company can’t pull some strings?” Jonny asked, trying to goad the man into doing something.</p><p>          “That’s precisely what I’m telling you,” Hovand said.  He turned to Dr. Quest, then stood.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a client due to arrive any moment.”  They all knew a dismissal when they heard one.  “You should join me for dinner while you’re in town, Dr. Quest,” Connor Hovand said, making parting pleasantries.  “Your sons and friends, too, of course.  Say, tonight?”</p><p>          “Actually-” began Dr. Quest.</p><p>          “Well if you can’t make it…” Mr. Hovand interrupted.</p><p>          “We’d love to,” Benton finished, never mind what he had started to say.  It seemed Connor Hovand was just a little too eager to get rid of them.</p><p>          “Delightful,” Mr. Hovand replied with little enthusiasm.</p><p>          “We’ll be looking forward to this evening,” Dr. Quest said as he and the others stood to leave.  “Where do you suggest we meet for dinner?”</p><p>          “In the lobby downstairs, six o’clock,” Mr. Hovand answered, resigned.  “I know a marvelous place not far from here.  Formal attire of course.”</p><p>          “Of course,” Dr. Quest agreed.  “Until tonight, then.”  With that, they took their leave of Connor Hovand and retraced their steps to the elevator.  No one said a word until they were on the street outside of the building.</p><p>          “We ought to go to the hotel, Benton,” said Race.  “We can talk about it in private there.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p>         </p><p>          “That man was hiding something,” Maggie vented as they gathered in Benton Quest’s suite.  “He didn’t want us there, and couldn’t get rid of us fast enough.  And he kept staring at me.”  She turned an accusing look on Dr. Quest.  “I can’t believe you accepted an invitation to dinner, Dr. Quest.”</p><p>          “You have to admit,” Jonny interrupted with a lopsided grin, “it was good to see Mr. Hovand squirm when Dad agreed.”  Dr. Quest smiled in amusement.</p><p>          “Exactly why I accepted,” Dr. Quest replied with a chuckle.  “And I thought it would be a good opportunity to try again.  I don’t trust Connor Hovand any more than you do, Maggie, and I think you’re right about his hiding something.”</p><p>          “Mr. Hovand was very nervous,” Hadji remarked.  “Particularly about the papers on his desk.  I do not believe he wished for us to see them.  I could not read them, however, they appeared to be an employee file.”</p><p>          “Did you see anything we can use?” Race asked him hopefully.</p><p>          “I was able to read the label on the file folder,” Hadji admitted.  “There was a letter, which might have been an L, and the dates October 1989 and March 1995.”</p><p>          “That’s about when Laura Franklin would have worked there,” Jessie noted.</p><p>          “That’s exactly when we moved in and out of Minneapolis,” Maggie said.  “You don’t think…” she didn’t finish her thought.  Hadji shrugged.</p><p>          “What conference were you talking about Dr. Quest?” Jessie asked, changing the subject.  “Why did the president of Hovand Industries walk out?”</p><p>          “It was in Washington, on industrial waste.  There are rumors Hovand Industries has been flouting disposal laws for years.  The conference became heated, and blatant accusations started flying.  Mr. Hovand walked out insulted.”</p><p>          “Do you think that could have something to do with Laura’s investigation?” Jessie wondered.</p><p>          “Perhaps,” Dr. Quest allowed, “but it isn’t likely.”</p><p>          “The CIA files on Laura Franklin went back more than twenty years, and she was special ops in domestic affairs,” Race reminded.  “I took a look at some of the files we downloaded.  The bulk of Laura’s work is missing.  I’m guessing it must be classified, beyond what Agent Parcell has access to.  If I’m right, then Laura was too valuable for the agency to waste her talents on industrial waste.”</p><p>          “Then it looks like we need to do some more detective work,” Jonny said.  “Do you think we should investigate the place Maggie and her mom lived?”</p><p>          “I think that’s a good idea,” Maggie said slowly, thoughtfully.  “Our house could very well hold a secret or two.”</p><p>          “Indeed,” Dr. Quest said, watching Maggie curiously.  “Jonny, why don’t you and Jessie and Race accompany Maggie to the house and see what you can turn up.  Hadji and I will remain here.  I think he and I can manage to hack into the Hovand Industries mainframe while you’re gone.  There might be something there.”</p><p>          “Go, dad,” Jonny said, surprised, a grin slowly forming on his face.  “That’s usually something I would do.  I didn’t know you had it in you.”  Dr. Quest laughed.</p><p>          “We’ll call you when we get there, Benton,” Race said as they left.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          “Well, here it is,” Maggie announced as they arrived in front of a tiny white house with blue trim.  The yard had flower beds scattered everywhere, and a vegetable garden could barely be seen in back behind the garage.  “It’s not much, but it was home.  It’s changed now.  The new owners don’t seem to keep up the property very well.  That fence never existed then, nor did that maple tree in the center of the yard.”</p><p>          “Quiet little neighborhood,” said Race, looking around.</p><p>          “We liked it,” Maggie said with a shrug.  She surveyed the property one more time.  “Well, let’s go see if anyone is home.”  They approached the front door and knocked.  A dog barked inside the house.  Bandit stood beside Jonny, wary of the strange dog, but showing no sign of warning otherwise.  Maggie knocked on the door a second time.</p><p>          “No one’s home,” said Race.  “Maybe we should come back later.”</p><p>          “No,” Maggie said, shaking her head.  “We can still look around outside.  Who knows, maybe the owners will be back soon.”  They walked down the steps and along the sidewalk in front of the house.  “Wait a minute…” Maggie said suddenly, stepping off the sidewalk, picking her way over a coiled hose.  She bent under the big picture window, and reached down and flipped up an outdoor outlet cover.  Something fell into her hand.  “It <em>is</em> still here!”</p><p>          “What’s still there?” asked Jonny.</p><p>          “The key to the side door,” Maggie answered simply.</p><p>          “Oh, no,” said Race.  “We are not going to do any breaking and entering.”</p><p>          “Oh, please, Race.  I have to get a look at something.  It’ll take two minutes.  Besides, it isn’t breaking and entering if you have a key.  Please!”  Maggie begged.</p><p>          “Two minutes,” said Race, resigned.  “Preferably less.”  Maggie smiled her thanks and ran to the side door.  It was easily opened with the key.  She slipped inside.  The little dog they had heard barking stood across the room and blankly stared at her.  Maggie thought it was eerie the way it didn’t blink.  She took a deep breath and ignored it.</p><p>          The house was messier on the inside than the outside.  It obviously had not been cleaned in months.  Maggie stepped over piles of junk as she made her way to her mother’s old room.  She stopped at her own on the way and wished she hadn’t.  It was completely destroyed, holes in the walls, wallpaper torn, broken window, stained carpet.  Her once beautiful room was ruined.</p><p>          She hurried on to her mother’s old room.  Once inside, she opened the closet and stepped all the way to the back.  The wall was made of brick here.  It was part of the old chimney connected to the wood burning stove that had heated the house years ago before the electric furnace had been installed.  Maggie counted the bricks upward from the floor and wiggled the loose one from its place.  The day they had moved in she had found it by accident.  When she had shared her discovery with her mother, her mother had remarked on what a great hiding place it would make.  Maggie had remembered the incident at the hotel…</p><p>          Maggie held the brick with one hand and reached into the open space with the other.  She felt around until her fingers touched something smooth and covered in dust.  Taking hold, she removed a large envelope.  After feeling around to make sure there was nothing else, she replaced the brick and quickly left the house.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p>         </p><p>          Back at the hotel, Dr. Quest was waiting patiently for Race and the others to return.  They had been gone nearly two hours, and he couldn’t begin to think where they could be.  Suddenly, all four came through the door. </p><p>          “Where on earth have you been?” asked the irritated Dr. Quest.  “Do any of you realize that you didn’t call?”</p><p>          “Well, Benton,” said Race, “We were involved in a little breaking and entering.  We didn’t think it was a good idea to get another accomplice involved.”</p><p>          “Breaking and entering?” Dr. Quest was stunned.  “What on earth?  You were supposed to be looking into Maggie’s old home.”</p><p>          “We did get a look at it,” Jonny returned, “At least Maggie did.  She found the key she and her Mom hid outside and used it to get into the house.”</p><p>          “You did what?!” exclaimed Dr. Quest.</p><p>          “Don’t be too angry,” Maggie said.  “I found something.  It was in the secret hiding place in my mother’s old clothes closet.”  Maggie pulled the envelope out from underneath her jacket.  “I haven’t opened it yet.  I was saving it for now.”</p><p>          “Well, let’s see,” Dr. Quest said with a sigh.  Maggie put her finger under the flap and easily separated the flap from the old glue holding it together.  She slowly reached in and pulled out a short stack of papers. </p><p>          “I can’t look,” she said suddenly.  “You do it Dr. Quest.”  Maggie held the papers to Dr. Quest.  He took them from her and read the front page. </p><p>          “These are documents from Hovand Industries- Company accounting records, and some records on employees.”  Dr. Quest flipped through page after page of similar things.  “Some rather bizarre shipment forms, too.”  Maggie took half of the stack and paged through as well.</p><p>          “I wonder if these are the papers that caller warned me about,” Maggie mused.  “This could be incriminating evidence of some kind.”</p><p>          “If it was, wouldn’t Laura have turned it in to her superiors?” Race asked.  “No self-respecting agent would withhold something like that.”</p><p>          “She may have had a good reason for retaining these documents,” Dr. Quest reasoned.  “It may have been a wise choice at the time, if circumstances warranted.”</p><p>          “I believe I may have discovered those reasons,” Hadji said, pulling a yellowed page from the envelope.  He handed it to Maggie.  “It seems to be a letter.  The writing is faded, making most words indiscernible.  However, Maggie’s name is legible, as well as her mother’s- and her father’s.”  Maggie stared at the page, trying desperately to make out the words.  It was no use.</p><p>          “I’ll bet Iris could read it for us,” Jessie suggested, peering at the page over Maggie’s shoulder.  “Let’s scan it into Questworld.”  Hadji took back the old paper and placed it into the portable scanner set up on the suite’s desk.</p><p>          “This should take at least a few hours to complete,” Hadji informed them as the page scanned and he typed some commands into the computer.  “Now we can only wait.” </p><p>          “Dr. Quest?” Maggie asked after a moment.  “Mr. Hovand said dinner would be formal.  I don’t have anything suitable to wear.  Do you think it would be all right if I went shopping?”</p><p>          “I could go too,” Jessie said quickly.</p><p>          “You don’t like shopping,” Jonny pointed out suspiciously.</p><p>          “Can you think of anything better to do?” Jessie challenged.  Jonny shook his head and said nothing.</p><p>          “I don’t see why not,” Dr. Quest replied.  “Just don’t go too far from the hotel and be back in two hours.”  Race nodded, and the two girls headed for the door.</p><p>          “I know a great place, just a few blocks up the street,” Maggie was saying as the door closed behind them.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Maggie finally decided on a navy dress with red embroidered trim.  She had flinched when the register read the sale price.  There wasn’t much she could do.  A credit card was passed to the cashier, and Maggie signed the receipt.  More charges followed as Maggie purchased shoes, jewelry, and certain underclothes she hadn’t had with her.</p><p>          “I can’t believe how much I spent today,” Maggie commented as she and Jessie carried Maggie’s shopping bags from the last store.</p><p>          “I can loan you if you need cash,” Jessie offered.</p><p>          “That’s okay,” Maggie said.  “My credit is good, and I have money to cover this.  It’s just, I don’t have much in savings, and with my mom missing, all her assets are frozen.  Weston University is reimbursing my tuition for this semester due to my unusual circumstances, but without my mom’s support, I won’t be able to pay for next semester.  Everything is just so <em>hard</em> right now.”</p><p>          “Dr. Quest would cover your school expenses, if you asked,” Jessie said.</p><p>          “I don’t want to ask him for anything more than I already have.  He’s been-” Maggie stopped suddenly and looked around nervously.  “I have a strange feeling someone is watching us.”</p><p>          “Don’t be ridiculous,” Jessie said, “who would be watching us?”  As Jessie finished speaking, two men ran out from an empty store front doorway and grabbed them in the deserted side-corridor of the shopping center.  “Hey!” Jessie shouted.</p><p>          “Let go of me!” Maggie ordered.  The two men were dragging the girls toward the exit and a waiting car outside.  Both girls saw what they were doing and acted.  Maggie stepped down hard on her attacker’s foot.  “I said LET GO!”  Jessie jabbed her assailant hard in the ribs, then spun around and kicked him in the back of the knee, pushing him, forcing him down on the ground.</p><p>          “We don’t want her!” one of Maggie’s attackers hissed.  Jessie’s attacker grabbed her, swinging her around, and threw her into a wall before running for the doors.  Jessie was momentarily stunned and fell to the floor.  Jessie wasn’t down long.  She got up and jumped onto the back of the man struggling to drag Maggie to the waiting car.  He was huge and shrugged her off easily.  Maggie’s own attempts to free herself seemed futile, though she was putting in a valiant effort.</p><p>          Just before they reached the door a third person, an unknown young man, jumped in as Jessie was thrown to the floor again, and grabbed the man who still held Maggie in an unbreakable grip.  With the element of surprise on his side, he was able to take one of the attacker’s arms and twist it behind the assailant’s back.  Jessie jumped up to help.</p><p>          Facing the doorway, Maggie saw Jessie’s attacker coming back.  Just as he reached them, she sent a foot flying at him, kicking him hard in the stomach.  He doubled over and fell to his knees in pain.  A moment later the restraining hold on her loosened and she was able to pry herself free.  Grabbing for Jessie’s hand, the two of them and the stranger took off running to the other end of the mall.  All three glanced back to see the two attackers make a run for the getaway car.</p><p>          They stopped running and looked around at all the gawking shoppers in the mall’s rotunda.  When the onlookers realized there was nothing more to see, they moved on and went about their business and left the three of them to themselves.  Maggie immediately found a seat on a nearby bench, and Jessie joined her while the young man leaned against the shopping center’s fountain.</p><p>          “Thanks a lot for your help,” Maggie finally said.  “Who knows what would have happened to us if you hadn’t been there.”  Jessie nodded in agreement. </p><p>          “You’re welcome,” he said, holding out his hand.  “My name is Price.  What’s yours?”</p><p>          “Maggie,” she answered, smiling at the tall, lean young man with his wavy brown hair, easy smile, and lively green eyes.  “This is my friend Jessie.”  She shook his outstretched hand.</p><p>          “Pleasure to meet the both of you,” Price said, shaking Jessie’s hand.  “What was that all about back there?” he asked, hitching his thumb in the general direction they had just run from.</p><p>          “We’re not quite sure,” Jessie said, looking down the corridor.  “Maybe we should go back and get your stuff, Maggie.”  Maggie nodded and the three stood up to retrieve the shopping bags from where they had been hastily dropped.  “We were just leaving and they attacked us out of the blue.”</p><p>          “I hope neither of you is hurt,” said Price.  Both girls shook their heads no.  “Good, I’m glad.”  He looked up and down the corridor as they walked.  “Do you think you’ll be all right?”</p><p>          “We’ll be fine, thank you,” Maggie said.  She exchanged a glance with Jessie.  “We have to be getting back to the hotel now.  We’ll be late and we don’t want to worry anybody any more than we already will.”  Price nodded in understanding.</p><p>          “Maybe we’ll meet again,” Price said hopefully.</p><p>          “Maybe,” Maggie said with a smile.  Then she and Jessie picked up the shopping bags, and waved as they left him, and the shopping center, behind.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          “There you two are!” Dr. Quest exclaimed the moment the girls stepped into his suite.  “We were beginning to get worried.”</p><p>          “You’ve got every reason to be worried,” Maggie allowed.  “Two men tried to kidnap us at the shopping center.”</p><p>          “What!?”  Race jumped up from his chair and crossed the room to his daughter.  Jessie sighed.</p><p>          “They attacked us as we were leaving, Dad,” Jessie explained.  “They were waiting in a vacant store front.  There was no way we could have known they were there until it was too late.”<br/>
          “Their attempt nearly worked, but Jessie was a bit too much to handle,” Maggie continued.  Race smiled proudly at his daughter.  “And then there was Price, of course.”</p><p>          “Price?” Dr. Quest asked curiously.</p><p>          “Unlike everyone else in the shopping center, he came to help us rather than stand by and watch stupidly as we were abducted in broad daylight.”  Maggie made no attempt to hide her feelings toward those bystanders.</p><p>          “Dad,” Jessie said, “I don’t think they wanted me.  When I broke loose, they said that I wasn’t the one they wanted.”  Everyone turned and looked at Maggie.</p><p>          “That guy on the phone the other day, he was right,” Maggie said with a sigh.  “Whoever took my mom, they’re after me, too.”</p><p>          “I agree,” Dr. Quest said.  He looked at both Jessie and Maggie.  “You are both unharmed?”  The girls nodded.  “Good.  We have some news of our own.  Iris was able to read the paper we scanned into Questworld.”</p><p>          “What’s on it?” Maggie asked excitedly.</p><p>          “It’s a letter,” Jonny said.  “It’s from your father.  We didn’t read it yet.  We wanted to wait for you.”  Maggie was stunned into speechlessness.  “There’s something on the back, too.”  Jonny got up from the chair in front of the laptop and allowed Maggie to sit there.  She stared at the keyboard for a moment before working up the courage to read the old letter.</p><p> </p><p>Laura,</p><p>         They let me write to prove I’m still alive.  He’s reading this, so I can’t say much.  I miss you, and little Maggie.  They took Matthew away, I don’t know where he is, but they say he’s safe and cared for.  Keep our daughter with you.  She’s safer with you than anywhere else.  I don’t want to lose her, too.  No matter what else, keep her safe.  I love you.</p><p>                 Jack</p><p> </p><p>          Tears slowly trailed down Maggie’s cheeks, but no one dared ask what the letter said.  She clicked on the screen to read what had been on the back of the page.</p><p> </p><p>Mrs. Hardy,</p><p>            I give you this warning and I expect you to heed it this time.  Drop your investigation immediately and turn over your evidence to me.  If not, the consequences will be felt by first your husband, then your son, and finally your daughter.</p><p> </p><p>          Maggie was shaking as she rose from the chair in front of the laptop.  She managed to walk the few steps to the window where she simply stared down at the traffic on the street below.  No one said anything for a long time.  Finally, Dr. Quest decided someone had to speak.</p><p>          “Maggie, are you all right?” he asked.  She shook her head and wiped away some of her tears.</p><p>          “I have a brother,” she said.  “My mother never told me.  I have to find him.  I have to find them all.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Dinner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Four:  Dinner</p><p> </p><p>          Everyone gathered in Dr. Quest’s suite at five-thirty, dressed in formal attire.  Jonny was taking some pointers from Race on knotting his tie.  Maggie was standing at a mirror, putting on the few pieces of jewelry she’d purchased that day.</p><p>          “Your necklace doesn’t match your other jewelry.  Maybe you should just go without it,” Jessie commented as Maggie stood back to check herself over.  Maggie reached for the chain, her fingers catching the pendant, which was actually a ring.</p><p>          “I never take it off,” Maggie said firmly.  “This is my mother’s engagement ring.  She gave it to me for safekeeping when I left for college last year.”</p><p>          “I didn’t know,” Jessie apologized.  “I’m sorry.”</p><p>          “Are you finished primping yet, Maggie?” Jonny called, giving his tie a final tug.  Maggie shot him an icy glare.  “Whoa,” Jonny said, taking a step back.  “Go ahead.  Primp.  Take your time.”  Maggie stared at him a moment, then her rigid posture suddenly relaxed, and she looked a bit deflated.</p><p>          “I’m sorry,” Maggie apologized.  “I know you were just teasing.  I’m just nervous.  I think I’m terrified of that man.”</p><p>          “Mr. Hovand?” Jonny asked.  Maggie nodded.</p><p>          “I don’t like the way he was watching me.  I don’t trust him,” Maggie said, then turned back to Jessie who eyed her necklace warily.</p><p>          “A wise man knows he is standing on thin ice when in the presence of a woman before a mirror,” Hadji advised Jonny in a conspiratorial whisper.</p><p>          “Yeah, I guess,” Jonny said as Hadji stepped past him to join Maggie and Jessie at the mirror.</p><p>          “May I see the necklace?” Hadji asked.  Maggie raised her eyebrows at him in surprise, but nodded.  Hadji picked up the ring, still on the chain around her neck, and examined the simple three stone engagement ring.  “I understand this has significant value to you, but is it possible it could be recognized by someone who knew your mother?”</p><p>          “It’s possible, I suppose, but I’m not taking it off,” Maggie said firmly.</p><p>          “Then perhaps I can persuade you to wear it somewhere inconspicuous.  Such as around your wrist.  Your sleeve will perhaps conceal it from view,” Hadji suggested.  Maggie considered it, then reluctantly nodded her consent.  She removed the chain from around her neck, then held it out to Hadji who took it from her and wrapped it around her wrist.</p><p>          “Do you think we’ll find anything out, Dr. Quest?” Jessie asked.  “Mr. Hovand was pretty tight-lipped this afternoon.”</p><p>          “I don’t know,” he replied.  “I hope so.”</p><p>          “We’re going to be late,” Race spoke up.  “Let’s get going.”  Everyone grabbed jackets and coats and headed for the door.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          The Quest party arrived in the lobby five minutes before six o’clock.  Their host having not yet arrived, they settled into the sofas and chairs of a seating arrangement.  Jessie and Maggie were seated facing the elevators, and occupied themselves watching people get on and off. </p><p>          “Price!” they both exclaimed in surprise when the young man they had met that afternoon stepped off one elevator with a dozen other people.  He was just as surprised to see the two girls waiting on the lobby sofa.</p><p>          “Maggie!  Jessie!  What are you two doing here?”  he crossed the tiled floor to join them.  “You both look beautiful.  Is there a special occasion?”  Neither answered because Connor Hovand had gotten off the same elevator, and was following right behind Price, a beautiful woman in her mid-forties on his arm.</p><p>          “You know these young ladies?” Mr. Hovand asked, as surprised as anyone else.  “Where did you meet them?”  Price spun around.</p><p>          “You know them, Father?” he asked.  Maggie and Jessie exchanged a shocked glance, then returned the questioning looks Jonny and Hadji were giving them.  They had had no idea.  They hadn’t even gotten Price’s last name.  He hadn’t volunteered, they realized, and they hadn’t asked.</p><p>          “I met them in the mall earlier today.  There was some trouble, and I helped them out,” Price answered Mr. Hovand, his father.</p><p>          “It seems the girls have met your son,” Dr. Quest said before anyone else could react to the strange situation.  “But the rest of us have yet to make his acquaintance, and of course, this lovely woman must be your wife.”  Whatever Connor Hovand had wanted to say died on his tongue before it was spoken.  He turned to Dr. Quest.</p><p>          “Of course,” he said.  He brought the beautiful brunette woman forward.  “This is my wife Abigail, and my son Connor.  He prefers to be called by his middle name, Price, to avoid confusion.  Abigail, allow me to introduce our guests.  This is Dr. Benton Quest and his son, Jonathan.”  They exchanged greetings.  “Benton’s adopted son, Hadji.  This is Race Bannon and his daughter Jessica.  They are friends of the Quests.”  Abigail greeted them all cordially.</p><p>          “This is Maggie, Mother,” Price finished, not missing his father’s deliberate exclusion.  He wondered why, but it wasn’t the time to ask questions.  “She and Jessie and I met in the mall this afternoon.”</p><p>          “Oh, how terrible for you girls,” Abigail Hovand said.  “Price told me all about it.  I’m so glad my son was able to help you.”</p><p>          “We are too, Mrs. Hovand,” Jessie agreed.</p><p>          “Dinner awaits us,” Mr. Hovand interrupted, taking his wife’s arm.  “We have reservations.  We mustn’t be late.”  The rest of the group had no choice but to follow his lead and exit the building through the revolving doors at the front entrance.  Outside, a white stretch limousine awaited them.  “As you can see, our Limo was specially outfitted to accommodate large groups,” Mr. Hovand said after they had all managed to fit in.</p><p>          “Somehow that doesn’t impress me,” Maggie whispered to Jonny who was seated beside her.  “I’ve never been in a Limo before.  How am I supposed to know the difference between a standard and a custom car?”  Jonny grinned, amused.</p><p>          “What did you say?” Price asked from Maggie’s other side.</p><p>          “I was saying this is my first ride in a limousine,” Maggie replied with a wink at Jonny.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          The drive was short; the restaurant was only a few blocks away.  The chauffeur pulled up to a fancy entrance under a hunter green awning, and let the passengers out.  They entered the restaurant with Mr. Hovand leading them.  The maître d’ recognized him instantly and led them through the elegant dining area to a large table at the back, directly beside a beautiful marble fountain adorned with live flowers.  Everyone found seats and engaged in polite conversation while consulting the menu.  After a fifteen-minute discussion of the signature entrees, orders were placed and hors d’oeuvres were served.</p><p>          “So,” said the senior Connor Hovand, “I’ve been curious since this afternoon.  Who, exactly, is the lovely Miss Hardy?  Perhaps she is a relation?”</p><p>          “No,” both Maggie and Dr. Quest answered.  They glanced at one another surreptitiously.  Mr. Hovand laughed.</p><p>          “Do you really dislike each other so much?”  Maggie blushed, and Dr. Quest cleared his throat.</p><p>          “Not at all,” Dr. Quest replied.  “I happen to like Miss Hardy very much.  Actually, she’s interning with me.”</p><p>          “Really?” Mr. Hovand said.  “What kind of intern work do you do with Dr. Quest?”  If anyone would have cared to notice, they would have found that every member of the Quest party was holding his or her breath in anticipation of Maggie’s response.  They had not known her very long, and whether or not she’d say too much was anyone’s guess.  Mr. Hovand, of course, noticed.</p><p>          “As you know, Dr. Quest is knowledgeable in many fields,” Maggie began slowly.  “I’m having trouble settling on a degree program and one of my instructors, Dr. Feldman, introduced us suggesting it would be beneficial to both of us to participate in this internship.”  Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji found it safe to breathe again, but Mr. Hovand enjoyed watching them squirm.</p><p>          “I’m aware of Dr. Quest’s many talents,” Mr. Hovand said purposefully.  “What, specifically, are you most interested in?”  Breathing ceased once again, to Connor’s amusement.</p><p>          “We’ve just begun working together,” Maggie said without hesitation.  “So far I’ve been familiarizing myself with the state-of-the-art computer system his labs run on.  Public universities just don’t have the funding for that kind of technology.  I’m actually hoping to learn about some of the work he’s been doing with cryogenics.  I hear his work has advanced technology for cryostasis by leaps and bounds.  Preserving living organisms to be revived and used later could prove to be a very important technological ability in the coming decades.”</p><p>          “You’ve read about my work?” Dr. Quest asked, surprised.  Maggie smiled.</p><p>          “Of course.  Who in the scientific world hasn’t?” she asked innocently.</p><p>          “Simply fascinating,” Mr. Hovand said with little enthusiasm.  The game had lost its appeal.  He wasn’t going to trip them up in their obvious ruse.  There was much more going on than what was presented on the surface, and he had his suspicions as to what it was and why.</p><p>          The rest of the dinner was uneventful.  Mrs. Hovand insisted the girls tell her about their scare at the downtown shopping center.  They didn’t feel much like discussing it in detail in front of Connor Hovand III.  Their reluctance did not phase Abigail Hovand.  She praised her son’s brave actions until Price was flushed with embarrassment.  Jessie, Maggie, and Price were all glad when they stood up to leave at the end of dinner.</p><p>          “I just had the most marvelous idea!” exclaimed Mrs. Hovand.  “It is still so early, only nine o’clock.  Why don’t we go up to the conservatory.  The gardens there are gorgeous year round.  We could have cocktails and sit on the greenhouse terrace.”  Mr. Hovand looked as though he were about to object, but Mrs. Hovand gave her husband a look that clearly meant she’d allow no opposition.</p><p>          “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Price said, agreeing with his mother.  He turned to the Quests.  “It really is something to see.  Not many get to.”</p><p>          “We’d be delighted,” Dr. Quest agreed.  Race gave him a questioning look, and as they stood to leave, he gave his friend an inquiring nudge.</p><p>          “We spent all of dinner avoiding Hovand’s questions,” Dr. Quest murmured.  “I still want to ask a few of my own.”  Race was satisfied with that and said nothing.</p><p>          Twenty minutes later they were on the roof of the Hovand Industries building in an immense domed greenhouse that topped the tall structure.  Under the glass ceiling grew literally thousands of plants and flowers, even trees.  Beyond the domed glass, the star speckled sky provided a beautiful backdrop to the spectacular view of the city all around.</p><p>          “This is absolutely breathtaking,” Maggie commented to Mrs. Hovand</p><p>          “Why, thank-you dear,” Mrs. Hovand beamed with pride.  “I belong to an exclusive gardening club.  This is where we display all of our best growing things.  The rest is kept up for atmosphere.”</p><p>          “Mother designed the landscaping,” Price added.  “She went to design school, but she rarely gets to use her talents.  Your compliment means more to her than she’d admit.”  Abigail was smiling at her son as he spoke.  It was easy to see that mother and son shared a very close relationship.</p><p>          “Feel free to make yourselves comfortable.  There are plenty of tables and chairs on the terrace by the fish pond,” Mr. Hovand invited.  “I’ll have one of my staff come serve drinks.”</p><p>          “That would be lovely,” Mrs. Hovand agreed, and they did make themselves comfortable.</p><p>          “Mother, where’s Devin?  I haven’t had the chance to ask, but I’ve been wondering,” Price asked.</p><p>          “Who’s Devin?” asked Jonny.</p><p>          “My younger brother,” Price explained.  Jonny nodded.</p><p>          “He said he had things to attend to,” Abigail Hovand answered.  “At least, that is what your father told me,” Mrs. Hovand answered.  Price gave her a surprised look.  Abigail shrugged slightly, seeming surprised herself.  She noticed the inquisitive gazes of their guests, and put on a bright smile.  “My youngest, Devin, is always crusading to save this endangered species or to protect that rainforest.  He’s becoming quite an activist.”  She suddenly beamed.  “I’m very proud of both my sons.  They’re both good men.  What more could a mother wish?”</p><p>          “She seems a little over zealous of her sons,” Maggie whispered to Jonny.</p><p>          “That’s an understatement!” Jonny whispered back.  Dr. Quest had said something to Mrs. Hovand to which she was replying.</p><p>          “No, Price just graduated this December.  Devin is three years younger, but I suspect it will take him far longer to complete his degree.  He has very definite ambitions, and he frequently interrupts his education to participate in humanitarian or ecological projects.”  Jonny and Maggie exchanged an amused smile.  A moment later, Mr. Hovand returned, and Maggie felt the uncomfortable scrutiny of his gaze once again.</p><p>          “Would you like to walk around the gardens with me?” Price quietly invited. </p><p>          “Absolutely,” Maggie said, grateful for an excuse to get away from Mr. Hovand’s watchful eyes.  Price excused them from the group and led her down a paved pathway into the jungle growing within the immense greenhouse.  Jonny gave Maggie a curious look as she passed.  She smiled and waved, then gave him a wink before disappearing down the path.  She walked with Price to the far side of the gardens before either of them spoke.</p><p>          “So, you work for Dr. Quest,” Price said curiously.  “You don’t strike me as the scientific type.”</p><p>          “What makes you say that?” Maggie inquired carefully.</p><p>          “I’m not implying you aren’t smart enough,” Price said, “don’t get me wrong.  It’s just… Science doesn’t seem to fit you,” he ventured.  “But then I’ve only known you one day, so I could be entirely wrong.”</p><p>          “I suppose I can see why you’d get that impression,” Maggie allowed.  She refrained from admitting he was entirely right.  She was quite aware of the fact she was playing a part tonight.  “It’s hard to be serious when I’m not sure where my life is going.”  Well, that was true enough- in a very understated way.</p><p>          “I suppose that’s reasonable.”</p><p>          “What about you, what do you do?”  Maggie asked, turning the conversation on Price.  “Your younger brother seems to have his life’s work all planned out.  Do you have any passions like his insatiable desire to save the world?”  Price laughed.</p><p>          “Devin does work with United World Aid, but he really isn’t the saint Mother makes him out to be,” Price told her.</p><p>          “I understand,” Maggie said with a smile.  “There is nothing purer than a mother’s love and pride for her child.”</p><p>          “That’s true, but it’s kind of funny because Devin is adopted.”  Maggie couldn’t help but stare at Price.</p><p>          “Adopted?” she asked.  “Are you adopted, too, then?”  Price shook his head.</p><p>          “No.  I’m their natural son.”</p><p>          “I don’t mean to be rude, but why did your parents adopt a second child when they could have children of their own…or couldn’t they after you?”  Maggie blushed, wondering if she had overstepped her bounds.  If Connor Hovand was the evil man responsible for her family’s destruction, as she was beginning to suspect, what would have possessed him to pity a little boy and adopt him?</p><p>          “I don’t think it was because they couldn’t have more children, they simply didn’t.  As for Devin, he came to us when he was about three.  I’m not sure why he was with my father.  Mother went to the office that day on some errand.  She saw Devin, discovered he had no family and was headed for foster care, and decided she wanted him herself.  She can be formidable when she chooses to be, and from that day on I was stuck with a little brother who’s been a thorn in my side for years.”</p><p>          “Don’t you like him?” Maggie asked.</p><p>          “Of course, I do.  You know how it is with siblings.”</p><p>          “I don’t, really.  I’m an only child,” Maggie told him.</p><p>          “Oh, I didn’t know.”</p><p>          “So, where is your brother?  Your mother didn’t exactly say.  And I got the impression you knew more than you were letting on.”  Price laughed.</p><p>          “You’re very astute,” he said.  “I’m seeing your scientist side after all,” he flashed her a grin, making her smile.  “Devin is actually looking for his real family.  Apparently, they’re dead, but Father hasn’t divulged anything else about them since Devin came to us.  Father is the only one who knows anything about his birth family, but he refuses to answer Devin’s questions.  Devin has always resented that.”</p><p>          “Why would your father do a thing like that?” Maggie wondered.</p><p>          “We guess it’s because Father thinks Devin is ungrateful.  That’s completely untrue.  So, the two of us have been trying to locate information about his biological parents without Father knowing.”  Price stopped and frowned as he drifted off into thought.  Maggie wondered what was bothering him, and when he looked up, he must have guessed at her thoughts because he answered them.  “The last time I spoke to him, Devin said he’d found a clue and was going to check up on it.  He’s been gone a week and I was hoping Mother had heard from him.  When she said Devin had talked to Father, I was surprised.  It isn’t like him to only contact Father.”</p><p>          “You don’t believe he actually called your father, do you,” Maggie said.  It wasn’t a question. </p><p>          “No,” Price said earnestly, “and that bothers me.”  It seemed to Maggie that there were a whole lot of missing persons these days.  Oddly, all of them had some connection to Connor Hovand III or Hovand Industries.  How very interesting.</p><p>          “You don’t seem to have the relationship with your father that you do with your mother.  And from what I can tell, neither does your brother,” Maggie commented.</p><p>          “Again, you’re very astute,” Price said with a rueful smile.  “Devin has good reason to be distant with Father, you can understand.  Me, I don’t see eye to eye with him on many things, mainly my own future.  He wants me to take over as president of Hovand Industries someday, but I don’t want anything to do with the company.”</p><p>          “I gather there’s been more than one argument over this,” Maggie surmised.  Price laughed.</p><p>          “You could say that,” he said.  “I’ve never had any interest in the company, and lately, with all the rumors flying about waste disposal and other things…  I just wish my father would leave me alone and let me do what I want to do,” Price said.</p><p>          “What do you really want to do?” Maggie asked.</p><p>          “I have a degree in engineering, but my father doesn’t think a Hovand should do such menial work.  What do you think?” Price asked.</p><p>          “In my opinion?”  Prince nodded when she paused.  “I think you should do what you want.  You’re the one who has to live with your decisions for the rest of your life.”</p><p>          “Thanks, Maggie.  I’m glad to hear someone besides Devin say that.”  Maggie smiled.  “So, you’re an only child?” he said, changing the subject.  “What about your family?  What was growing up like for you.  You’ve heard my life story, now I think it’s your turn.”  He smiled at her sheepishly.  He obviously hadn’t intended to say as much as he had.  But Maggie wasn’t sure how to answer.  She couldn’t very well tell him her family had been kidnapped and that she was coming to believe his father was responsible for it.</p><p>          “There you are,” Jonny interrupted with perfect timing.  “Dad says we have to get back to the hotel.”</p><p>          “Alright.  I’m coming,” Maggie said, joining Jonny.</p><p>          “Let me walk with you,” Price said, following.  Jonny and Maggie paused until Price caught up, then they walked three abreast along the deserted pathway.  As they walked, they started to feel uneasy, glancing around nervously.  It felt as though they were being watched.</p><p>          As they approached the back side of the fish pond, footsteps sounded behind them.  Before they could turn to look, they were each grabbed from behind.  A strange smelling rag was clamped down over their noses and mouths.</p><p>          Looking to either side of her, Maggie saw Jonny and Price slowly slumping to the ground unconscious.  Maggie felt her eyes droop heavily, and through the growing haze in her mind, she realized the funny odor on the rag must be chloroform.  Then the world went dark.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          “Jonny should have been back with those two by now,” Race said to Dr. Quest.  “Something’s wrong.”</p><p>          “I agree,” said Dr. Quest.</p><p>          “Wrong?” Abigail Hovand asked, concerned.  “What could be wrong?”</p><p>          “I’m not sure,” Dr. Quest replied.  “But I’d like to find my son and Miss Hardy, and see for myself that everything is as it should be.”  Abigail nodded.</p><p>          “Why don’t we split up,” Jessie suggested, her eyes narrowed in a suspicious glare directed at Connor Hovand III.  “We’ll find them faster that way.”  Dr. Quest nodded.  Race and Dr. Quest took the path that Maggie and Price, and then Jonny, and followed.  Jessie and Hadji took another path that wound around back behind the fish pond.  They didn’t have to go far to find a clue.</p><p>          “What is that?” Hadji pointed to a folded cloth lying on the brick pathway.  Jessie bent to inspect it and carefully picked it up.  Her nose wrinkled as it caught a faint odor from the rag.  She held it up closer to Hadji.</p><p>          “Chloroform,” he said, confirming Jessie’s suspicions.</p><p>          “And look here,” Jessie gasped, dropping the chloroform rag.  She bent and picked up a glittering piece of jewelry.  It was the necklace that held Laura’s engagement ring, the very necklace Maggie had claimed she’d never take off.</p><p>          “The chain appears to be broken,” Hadji said, looking at the necklace that Jessie held up, the diamonds on the ring glittering in the ambient lighting.  They exchanged a glance.  Something was definitely wrong here.</p><p>          “Dad!” Jessie called out.  “Dad, we found something!”  When they heard the answering shout, they knew Race and Dr. Quest hadn’t gone far.  A moment later, the two men came into view down the path, Mr. and Mrs. Hovand following curiously behind them.</p><p>          “Take a look at these,” Hadji said, indicating the chloroform rag and the necklace Jessie was holding.  “We found them here.”  Both Dr. Quest and Race quickly examined what they’d found.  Dr. Quest took the rag from Race who had picked it up from the ground.</p><p>          “It’s soaked in chloroform,” he gasped.</p><p>          “Benton,” Race said, pointing to the pathway.  “Scuff marks.”  Sure enough, faintly visible on the brick path were several marks.  “Something heavy was dragged through here,” Race said.</p><p>          “More than one thing, I would say,” Dr. Quest assessed.</p><p>          “You mean like three people,” Jessie suggested.  The four of them looked to each other once again.</p><p>          “The elevators,” Race said.  They took off running toward the elevators where they had come up to the roof.  When they got there, one was descending, and it was already on the thirtieth floor, nearly twenty floors below them, and descending fast.  Race’s gaze scoured the floor.  “The drag marks lead right to the elevator,” he said.</p><p>          “Did you find them?  Where is my son?” Abigail Hovand asked as she and her husband caught up to them.  Dr. Quest looked at her for a moment, then looked up at the rapidly descending numbers above the elevator door.  Mrs. Hovand’s gaze followed his.  “I have a terrible feeling about this,” Abigail said.</p><p>          “As do I,” Dr. Quest agreed.  “As do I.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Maggie woke to find herself lying on a hard, cold floor.  Putting a hand to her dizzy head, she sat up slowly, opening her bleary eyes to look around.  She found herself in some sort of cell.  There was a thick steel door set in one of the concrete walls.  It had only a tiny square window in the center at about eye level.  The window was the only source of light in the tiny, enclosed space.  Two bunks, one on each wall, hung low to the ground.  Next to her on the floor was Jonny, still unconscious.  Price was missing, and Maggie briefly wondered why before realizing she should try and wake Jonny.</p><p>          “Jonny,” she said quietly, “Wake up.”  He slowly came to, confused at first, but memory returned quickly.  “Are you all right?”</p><p>          “Yeah, I think so,” he said after a long moment.  “Kind of dizzy, but that’s about it.”</p><p>          “Do you remember how we got here?  We were chloroformed, and then…”  Jonny shook his head.  “Me either.”  Maggie sighed while Jonny took a turn looking around their confined cell.  Maggie watched as his eyes traveled around the space, taking in the exact details she had noted.</p><p>          “Where’s Price?” Jonny asked.</p><p>          “I don’t know,” Maggie replied.  “He wasn’t here when I woke up, either.”</p><p>          “You needn’t worry about him,” came a deep-toned man’s voice from the little window in the door.  Both Jonny and Maggie looked up at the angular, shadowed face barely visible there.</p><p>          “Who are you?” Jonny demanded.</p><p>          “Let’s just say I’m a friend of your host’s.”</p><p>          “And who would our ‘host’ be?” asked Jonny.</p><p>          “You’ll find out soon enough,” replied the man.</p><p>          “Are you going to tell us anything useful, or are you just going to taunt us?” Maggie demanded.  “We don’t need any grief from you.”</p><p>          “A little sassy are we, Miss Hardy?” he said in a condescending tone.  “You’ll know what we want you to know when we want you to know it.”  With that he turned and left.</p><p>          “Hey!” Jonny shouted, jumping up and waving his hand out the tiny window.  “Hey!  Where are you going?  What’s going to happen to us?”  The man’s footsteps kept going until a heavy, metal door creaked open and was closed with a slam.  He was gone.</p><p>          Maggie sat slumped against the wall dejectedly.  Jonny stepped over and sat on one of the bunks, deep in thought.  Neither moved for a long time.  Ever so slowly they became aware that someone was softly calling Maggie’s name.  The voice sounded dry and raspy, like a very old man’s voice.</p><p>          “Maggie, Maggie!  Answer me!”  Maggie glanced at Jonny a moment, unsure what to do.  Jonny shrugged.  It was her call.</p><p>          “Who’s there?” she called uncertainly.</p><p>          “Maggie!  Is that you?”</p><p>          “Yes.  Who are you?” she replied.</p><p>          “My baby girl!  I never thought I’d ever hear your voice!”</p><p>          “Are- are you my father?” Maggie asked incredulously.</p><p>          “Yes, it’s me sweetie.  I’m Jack Hardy, your father.”</p><p>          “Prove it,” the skepticism in Jonny’s voice was clear.  “Why should we believe you?”  Jonny gave Maggie a warning look.  Maggie kept quiet, waiting for the stranger’s answer.</p><p>          “Silver Bells,” the man said.</p><p>          “What?” Maggie hadn’t expected that.</p><p>          “Your mother told me to tell you ‘Silver Bells.’  I don’t know why.  There wasn’t time to explain before they took her away.”</p><p>          “Where are you?” Maggie asked, nearly in tears.</p><p>          “I’m in one of these cells, Sweetie.  I don’t know which one they put you in, but it must be so close…”</p><p>          “Why are they doing this to us?”  She was barely keeping a rein on her emotions.</p><p>          “You must have some idea, sweetie, of what’s going on.  Tell me what you know.”</p><p>          “Don’t say anything, Maggie,” Jonny whispered urgently, putting a restraining hand on her arm.  “I don’t think that we can trust him.”</p><p>          “Don’t be ridiculous,” Maggie argued.  “He knew-”</p><p>          “So what?” Jonny said seriously, “What if these people found out about ‘Silver Bells’ and are setting you up?  We can’t risk telling this guy anything.  My dad will come looking for us, and we can’t risk getting him caught.  Besides, you’ve never met your father.  There’s no way you can be sure.”  Maggie stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then slowly, she nodded.</p><p>          “You’re right, Jonny,” Maggie admitted reluctantly, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.  “I don’t know my father.  We can’t let them get your dad.  What’s happened to my family is bad enough.”</p><p>          “What we need,” Jonny said, “is a plan.  We need to get out of this cell.  Then we can find out if that man is really your father or not.”  Maggie nodded solemnly.</p><p>          “Right.  And chances are, they killed my dad a long time ago,” Maggie swallowed hard, keeping herself from breaking down and crying, “because obviously my mother didn’t give in to these people’s demands.  Otherwise, none of this would be happening right now.”</p><p>          “Maggie?  What’s going on?  Talk to me, Sweetie.”  Maggie nodded to Jonny.</p><p>          “I’m sorry,” she said.  “I don’t know anything, but maybe you could tell me what you know.  Do you know why they’re holding us here?”</p><p>          “Your mother stole some documents these people want back.  They’ll murder to get it,” he told them.  “That’s all I know.”</p><p>          “That’s <em>all</em>?” said Jonny incredulously.  “You’ve been a hostage for twenty years and that’s all you have?”</p><p>          “Could you…” Maggie started uncertainly, “Could you tell me something about you and Mom, something no one would know but you, her, and me?”  There was no answer from the man in the other cell.</p><p>          “You are not my father,” Maggie announced.  “My real father would have had something to say.  Who are you and what do you want from me?”</p><p>          “Smart-ass little girl,” the man snarled.  “You should have just told me where it was.”  Footsteps approached the cell which housed Jonny and Maggie.  “It would have been less painful for you in the end.”</p><p>          “What do you mean?” Jonny demanded.  “Are you going to torture us?”  The man did not answer.  He stared at them through the tiny window, then walked away.  Jonny and Maggie listened in silence until the same creaking door opened and closed.</p><p>          “I’m scared, Jonny,” Maggie admitted.  “How are we going to get out of this?”</p><p>          “Don’t be,” he told her.  “I’ll think of something.  I always do.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Jack</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Five:  Jack</p><p> </p><p>          Benton Quest, Race, Jessie, and Hadji were out of leads.  They had watched the elevator descend to the underground parking ramp, and then taken another down to try and catch them.  All they found was a trail of scuff marks ending near a fresh set of tire marks.</p><p>          Dejectedly, they went back to their hotel to see if they could come up with any new information from Laura Franklin Hardy’s CIA records.  After hours of going over them again and again, they concluded one thing.  Connor Hovand III and Hovand Industries was the key to everything, and they wouldn’t find Maggie and Jonny until they found out what Hovand was up to.</p><p>          “I hate sitting around with those two kids missing,” Race vented with frustration.  “Jonny and Maggie are no match for people like Hovand.”</p><p>          “I know that, Race,” said Dr. Quest, “but we can’t go after them until we find out where they are.”</p><p>          “What about the papers Maggie got from the house?” Jessie suggested.  “We were so excited about the letter we didn’t even look at the other stuff.”</p><p>          “Those papers may be very important,” Hadji agreed.  “They must be significant if Laura Hardy hid them for so many years.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Jonny and Maggie whispered excitedly as they put their plan together.  Jonny still had his communicator watch on his wrist, and it was conveniently equipped with a homing beacon.  Jonny had felt like kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner, and Maggie had blamed the lapse of common sense on the chloroform.</p><p>          “Do you think the signal will reach your dad?” Maggie inquired.  “I’ve heard these things don’t work if the target is too far from the receiver.”</p><p>          “It has a satellite link,” Jonny said.  “My dad can track me anywhere in the world if he wanted.  I just hope he’s looking, because if he’s not, I don’t know how we’re going to get his attention.”</p><p>          “Well, it’s a communicator isn’t it?” Maggie pointed out.  “Can’t you just call him up or something?”</p><p>          “I thought about that,” Jonny explained, “but I think these people would notice the transmission right away.  It works a lot like a cellular phone.  But a homing device?  How many people walk around with one of those?”</p><p>          “Good point,” Maggie conceded.  She watched closely as Jonny held his breath and activated the homing beacon.  A tiny green light flashed at regular intervals, indicating it was working.  “How will we know if they get the signal?” Maggie asked.</p><p>          “We don’t,” Jonny said grimly.  “It only works one way.”</p><p>          “Can we change the intervals of the signal?”  Maggie wondered aloud, watching the green light flash in the dimly lit cell.  “I read somewhere about someone trapped in a mine who used a walkie-talkie to send Morse Code signals when the transmitter only sent and received static.  Could we do that?”</p><p>          “Maybe, but it would be hard,” Jonny thought.  “What message would we send?  I don’t know Morse Code.”</p><p>          “S.O.S. of course,” Maggie said.  “Three short, three long, three short.”</p><p>          “I guess we could try, but it still doesn’t guarantee they’ll see.”</p><p>          “What about Iris?”</p><p>          “Iris?  You mean send the message to Questworld?” Jonny turned thoughtful.  “I think you might have something there.  I could relay the message to the computer and let Iris relay the message to my dad.”</p><p>          “What are you waiting for?” Maggie said, “Get working on it.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Dr. Quest was working late.  He was going through the files downloaded from Agent Parcell’s computer for a fifth time.  Working with Iris was the best way to analyze them, as well as their best chance of finding some kind of lead.  Sitting back in his chair, he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, trying to get his bleary vision to clear.  Bandit, sitting at Dr. Quest’s feet, looked up.  When Dr. Quest didn’t respond to his whine, Bandit put his head back down on his front paws forlornly.</p><p>          Jessie Bannon knocked on his door and entered at his absent-minded “Come in.”  She approached him with a packet of papers, the ones in the envelope taken from Maggie and Laura’s old home.  Holding them out to him, she sighed.</p><p>          “I thought you might want to see these yourself,” she said.  “I can’t make sense of them, but I have this nagging feeling that there’s something important in them.  Maybe I’m just reading them wrong.  Maybe I am reading it, but I just don’t recognize it.”</p><p>          “Thank-you, Jessie,” Dr. Quest said, taking the papers from her.  “I could use a break from this.”  He gestured at the laptop on the desk in front of him.</p><p>          “I can work on that for a while,” Jessie offered.  “I can tell you if Iris finds anything.”</p><p>          “You’re welcome to it.”  Dr. Quest vacated his seat and moved to a small sofa with the packet of papers.  Bandit followed him and sat once more at his feet.  Jessie plopped down in his place and started punching away at the keyboard.  They worked in silence for a long time. </p><p> </p><p>MESSAGE:  . . . _ _ _ . . .</p><p> </p><p>          “What on earth is this?” Jessie wondered aloud.  “Dr. Quest, what is this message for?”  Dr. Quest rose from the sofa and leaned over Jessie’s shoulder, peering at the laptop’s screen.</p><p>          “I don’t know.  Ask Iris to clarify,” he replied.</p><p> </p><p>ORIGIN OF MESSAGE:  WATCH 1</p><p> </p><p>MESSAGE:  . . . _ _ _ . . .</p><p> </p><p>ACCESSING LOCATION NOW</p><p> </p><p>          “Jonny is sending us a message!  That’s Morse code!”  Jessie quickly slipped out of the chair to allow Dr. Quest a seat.  “S.O.S.  He’s using Iris to tell us where he is.”  Dr. Quest accessed the three-dimensional map that would show the origin of the S.O.S. message.</p><p>          “There!” Jessie exclaimed, reading the information that was scrolling across the screen.  “He’s still in Minneapolis.  Himmel Street and 71<sup>st</sup>.”  She jumped up and roused her father who was sleeping in the room next door.  He came running to the computer.</p><p>          “What’s at that address?” Race demanded.  Dr. Quest typed in some commands, and more text began to scroll across the screen.</p><p>          “A warehouse,” Dr. Quest said.  “It belongs to CPH Corporation.”  The three exchanged looks.</p><p>          “Who are they?” Jessie asked.</p><p>          “I don’t believe I’ve heard of them before,” Dr. Quest said.  “It could be a local corporation.”</p><p>          “What do they have to do with Hovand Industries?” Jessie wondered aloud.</p><p>          “Perhaps nothing,” Dr. Quest answered.  “CPH Corporation may have rented the warehouse to another company for use.  I could find out.”</p><p>           “No, go get some sleep,” Race ordered both his employer and his daughter.  “I have arrangements to make.  We leave at dawn.”  Neither Jessie nor Dr. Quest questioned him and they headed for bed and what little sleep they might get, Dr. Quest stopping in to wake Hadji and let him know what they’d just found.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p>         </p><p>          Jonny and Maggie sat on one of the bunks watching the communicator watch blink green as it sent the S.O.S. message repeatedly.  They wouldn’t know when Dr. Quest got the message, <em>if</em> he got the message. </p><p>          “We better stop for tonight,” Jonny said softly.  “We don’t want to kill the batteries before my dad gets the chance to see the message.  We’ll try again tomorrow.”</p><p>          “What’ll we do if they don’t see?” Maggie whispered.</p><p>          “We stick together and hope Dad heard us,” was all that Jonny said.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          The next morning, Dr. Quest, Race, Jessie, and Hadji were up and gone before dawn.  Driving a rental van to the address Iris had indicated, they stopped in a dingy looking section of the city so Race could take care of some errand.  The ordinary black backpack he came back with explained the stop.  He wasn’t going in unprepared.  Everyone was silent and solemn as they moved on, winding their way through the city.  Even Bandit sat sadly on Hadji’s lap, lonely for Jonny.</p><p>          “Himmel and 71<sup>st</sup>,” Race stated as they came upon their destination.  He drove past and parked more than a block up from the warehouse to avoid alerting the place to their presence.  Piling out of the van quickly, they slipped into the shadows along another warehouse wall where they took in their surroundings.  This area of the warehouse district was located away from the main flow of human activity.  They were careful and alert as they worked their way from building to building without being seen until they came to the distribution center for Hovand Industries at Himmel and 71<sup>st</sup>.</p><p>          “Hovand again,” Race muttered.  “I can trust that guy about as far as I can throw him.”</p><p>          “Indeed,” commented Dr. Quest.</p><p>          “CPH,” Jessie mused aloud.  “Connor P. Hovand Corporation.”  Dr. Quest and Race looked at her quizzically.</p><p>          “How do you know the middle initial is P?” Race asked.</p><p>          “Price,” Hadji answered for Jessie, recalling something Mr. Hovand had said when he introduced his son.  “Price goes by his middle name, as he is named after his father.”</p><p>          “It looks like we were right,” Race said.  “Hovand is our man.”  They looked to one another grimly.  “Now, to find a way in…”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Without Jonny’s watch, they wouldn’t know whether it was night or day.  As the hour had grown late in the night, they had each taken a bunk and tried to sleep.  What little sleep they did get was anything but restful.  When Jonny decided to get up he automatically checked his watch.</p><p>          “Ten forty-seven!”  he exclaimed.</p><p>          “What?” Maggie said groggily, roused by his shout.</p><p>          “It’s almost eleven o’clock in the morning!” Jonny reiterated.  “We should have sent the second signal by eight.”</p><p>          “I told you to set the alarm last-”</p><p>          “Shh,” Jonny hissed, cutting her off.  “Someone’s coming.”  Maggie held her breath as they listened to the creaking door open and close, followed by approaching footsteps.  At least three people were walking toward their cell.  It was hard to judge as the sounds echoed off the cement walls in funny patterns.</p><p>          “Jonny,” she whispered nervously as the door to their cell was unlocked and opened.  Three men appeared, along with someone who surprised both Jonny and Maggie.  It was Miss Trencher, Mr. Hovand’s secretary.</p><p>          “Miss Hardy, Mr. Quest, how nice to see you again,” she said cordially.  “Your presence has been requested in the peach room.  If you will accompany me please.”</p><p>          “Why should we?” Jonny demanded insolently.</p><p>          “You will be going one way or another.  We thought it more pleasant this way.  If you prefer more drastic measures, that can be arranged,” the secretary said.</p><p>          “Let’s follow Miss Trencher, Jonny,” Maggie said.  “I don’t want to find out what the ‘drastic measures’ are.”</p><p>          “She’s smart,” Amelia Trencher said.  “You might do well to listen to her, young man.”  Jonny grudgingly followed Miss Trencher, Maggie walking beside him, and the three goons fell into step behind them.</p><p>          First, they were led down a corridor lined with cells identical to the one they had been held in.  Beyond those, they followed a wider hallway with other, smaller cell blocks branching off of it.  They were led up a set of stairs and along a short corridor.  From there, they walked into the huge main room of the warehouse, and followed a pathway along the main working floor. </p><p>          The place was deserted.  Not a soul could be seen save the five people walking through the center of it.  They passed through a doorway on the other side of the warehouse to an office area.  Both Jonny and Maggie had been carefully observing their surroundings.  They had noticed one important thing. </p><p>          “No windows,” Jonny whispered.</p><p>          “I know,” Maggie breathed.  They were quickly silenced and then they were led into a large room painted and decorated in shades of peach and orange.  The Peach Room.  No one was inside.  Miss Trencher motioned them in.</p><p>          “Both of you sit down,” Miss Trencher instructed.  “They will be with you presently.  I advise you not to try anything funny.  The door is guarded and there is no other way out.”  She turned and left them alone.</p><p>          “Who are ‘they’?” Maggie asked.  Jonny just shrugged.  At a loss for what else to do, they found a small sofa and sat down next to each other to wait.</p><p>          First Miss Trencher entered with two guards.  Following them were several men and women in suits.  Neither Maggie nor Jonny recognized any of them.  The assembly sat down in the circle of chairs, except the guards who stood along a wall. </p><p>          “Well, everyone, welcome,” said a familiar voice as a figure entered the room.  “I am glad that you all made it.  It seems that we all have something to celebrate.  But first I’d like to have some others present.”  Jonny and Maggie glared at him.  It was no surprise to them to see Connor Hovand III.</p><p>          “What’s going on here?” Maggie demanded.</p><p>          “Patience my dear,” Mr. Hovand said pleasantly.  He disappeared from the room, then reentered, followed by more guards guiding two bound, gagged and blindfolded young men.</p><p>          “Price!” Maggie exclaimed as the blindfolds and gags were removed.</p><p>          “Maggie!” he said with relief.  “Are you all right?  They didn’t hurt you, did they?”  She shook her head no.  Price looked around and started when he saw the other young man next to him.  “Devin!  How did you get here?”  Maggie and Jonny both looked up at the other young man in surprise.  He was shorter than Price, by two inches, but was just as lean.  He had dark blond hair, and slate blue eyes.</p><p>          “Ask <em>him</em>,” Devin replied, glaring directly at Mr. Hovand.</p><p>          “Father?!” Price was shocked when he turned to look.  “What’s going on?”</p><p>          “You, my son, are going to learn a valuable lesson here today.”  He turned toward the guards still holding his sons.  “Come, now, let’s be civilized.  Untie them.”  Two of Hovand’s thugs did so, then pushed the young men down into a low sofa.</p><p>          “Now, then, shall we get down to business?” Mr. Hovand asked.</p><p>          “Oh, please do,” Maggie said sarcastically.  Jonny gave her a sideways glance, and Devin seemed to notice her for the first time.  He stared at her, studying her.  Maggie felt their eyes on her, as well as Price’s and Mr. Hovand’s and was beginning to feel uncomfortable under their close scrutiny.</p><p>          “No need for that kind of attitude, Miss Hardy,” Mr. Hovand reprimanded.  Maggie scowled at him.</p><p>          “Miss Hardy!” Devin exclaimed.  “Maggie?”  Connor Hovand silenced him with a glaring look, and Maggie’s scowl turned to surprise.  How could he recognize her as he seemed to?  She’d never met him.  A glance to Jonny confirmed he was wondering the same thing.</p><p>          “As I was saying, let’s get down to business.”  Connor turned to the suits to address them.  “As you are all aware, we have finally located and acquired Miss Maggie Hardy.  Unfortunately, she had to go and get the uncle and cousin involved.  They, in turn, got three others involved, Mr. Bannon and his charming daughter Jessica, and a young man, Hadji, who is Dr. Quest’s adopted son.  We have been able to secure Mr. Jonny Quest here, but the others have yet to be detained.”</p><p>          “You knew all along?!” Maggie interrupted in anger.</p><p>          “Yes, my dear.  I’m ashamed to say that I rather enjoyed toying with you throughout dinner last night.”  Connor Hovand III looked at her coolly.  “Tell me, was that intern story a collaboration, or spur of the moment?”  Maggie could barely contain her anger, but she managed to keep herself in check.  Mr. Hovand shrugged, and turned to the men and women in suits.</p><p>          “I have more good news to relay to you,” Mr. Hovand said.  “After securing Miss Hardy, we were able to convince Laura Franklin to tell us where the documents were hidden.  We have a man retrieving them as we speak.”  The people in suits became excited and began whispering to themselves.  “Once we obtained that information,” Mr. Hovand continued, “We eliminated Laura Franklin.  She was of no further use to us.”</p><p>          “You what!?” Maggie shouted in disbelief.  Her shock quickly changed to fury.  “What did you do to my mother?”  Mr. Hovand turned to her coolly.</p><p>          “She has been terminated.  She no longer poses a threat to our organization,” Mr. Hovand answered evenly.  Tears glittered in Maggie’s eyes.  “No need to cry, now,” Mr. Hovand said to her with mock sincerity.  “You will be joining her shortly.”</p><p>          “Stop it, Father,” Price interrupted angrily.  “Whatever you’ve been doing, stop it right now.”  Mr. Hovand turned to his son.</p><p>          “This isn’t personal, Price,” Hovand said.  “This is business.  Business can be ruthless at times.  You have to learn to play the game.  Watch carefully, and learn.  This responsibility will be yours one day.”</p><p>          “I don’t want this kind of <em>responsibility</em>,” Price stated, confronting a long-standing conflict of differences between himself and his father.  He glanced at his younger brother.  Devin’s look of fury rivaled Maggie’s.  Somehow this was hurting both of them… </p><p>          “Son, you’re too soft.  You take after your mother that way.  And look what it got her: she’ll have a broken heart when I tell her Devin has suffered an unfortunate accident.”  He turned to Devin.  “Seventeen years ago, Abby unwittingly saved your worthless life.  And now, because you went poking around where you had no business being, searching for your birth parents, you’ve thrown that chance away.” </p><p>          “Hold on,” Jonny interrupted, staring at Connor Hovand.  “You lost me there.  What does Devin have to do with any of this?”</p><p>          “I’m Laura and Jack Hardy’s son,” Devin answered when Mr. Hovand didn’t speak.  “Maggie is my twin sister.”  Maggie gasped in surprise.</p><p>          “Matthew!” she breathed, rising from her seat in shock.  “Twin?”  She took a step forward, and was promptly pounced upon by one of the burly thugs.  “Get off of me!” Maggie shouted as she suddenly found herself pinned to the ground.</p><p>          “She said get off!” Jonny shouted, jumping up and trying to pull the guard off of her.  The man let out a howl as Jonny grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, pulling him up far enough for Maggie to roll free.  The second guard jumped into action and made a grab for Jonny.  Price and Devin jumped up and stopped him from reaching Jonny and Maggie.</p><p>          “Matthew,” Maggie reached a hand out to him just as two strong hands clamped down onto her other arm.  Several uniformed men came through the room’s only door, and in a moment, they had Price, Devin, Jonny, and Maggie surrounded.  In the rush, Devin tried to grab hold of Maggie’s hand, but their fingers barely brushed against each other before they were pulled apart.</p><p>          “Enough!” Mr. Hovand shouted.  “Take my son and the others and lock them up.  They are distracting us.  I’ll take care of them later.”  The guards obeyed, filing from the room, hauling their four charges with them. </p><p>          “I had intended to let you all in on this little meeting,” Hovand told them as they were hauled away.  “Too bad you couldn’t behave yourselves.”  Maggie was the last to leave.  Hovand stopped her guard before they could exit the room.  Connor Hovand lifted her chin roughly, forcing her to look up at him.  “She cried, you know,” he said.  “She cried, begging me to spare your life, and that good-for-nothing boy.  You’ll cry, too.  You’ll cry and beg for my mercy.  I won’t give you any.”  He dropped his hand and motioned for the guard to go.  Maggie was dragged through the door by the guard, but her horrified gaze remained on Connor Hovand until the door closed in her face.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Maggie was in a daze at first.  She couldn’t believe that man’s cruelty.  And her mother…  The need to cry was strong, but she was still in shock.  She kept moving only because her guard was dragging her along.  Then her urge to cry suddenly vanished.  She couldn’t quite comprehend why, until she heard someone calling her name softly.  It was definitely not her guard.</p><p>          “Maggie,” came the voice again.  This time, looking ahead of her, she saw a hand stretched out between two bars in a cell door.  “Maggie.”</p><p>          “Hush up now, Jack,” said Maggie’s guard.  “Not another peep from you.”</p><p>          “Jack?” Maggie repeated to herself.  “Dad?” she asked aloud.  The hand reached out and grabbed the guard as he and Maggie passed.</p><p>          “Let me see my daughter,” ordered the man in the cell with a hoarse, but forceful voice.</p><p>          “Dad!”  Maggie called out to him.  She saw him through the bars.  Despite his shaggy, graying hair and gaunt features, he looked remarkably like Devin.  There was no mistaking this man’s identity.</p><p>          “Let me see my baby,” Jack Hardy ground out, struggling to hold onto the guard.  Maggie stomped the heel of her shoe into the man’s foot, and elbowed him hard in the stomach.  He let go of her, and she kneed him in the groin.  With a shove she had him against the wall, and he fell to the floor after a quick kick to each knee.</p><p>          “Maggie,” Jack said, “Baby girl, where did you learn how to do that?”</p><p>          “Oh, Dad,” she said, the tears finally coming.  She grabbed his outstretched hand and she held onto it, not wanting to let go.  “Mom made me take self-defense.”  They both laughed at that for some odd reason. </p><p>          “Baby girl,” Jack said urgently, “See if that guard has a set of keys.  See if you can get me out of here.”</p><p>          “Okay,” she said, wiping her eyes with determination.  She quickly relieved the guard of his keys.  “Dad, Mom is dead,” Maggie said, her eyes refilling with tears as she fumbled with the keys at the lock.  “They killed her last night.”</p><p>          “I know,” he said sadly.  “They made me watch.”  Maggie looked up at him through the bars of the window.  She could see the terror and devastation in his eyes.  She couldn’t stand to look at them and looked back at the lock.  It finally clicked open.  The door swung outward, and her father stepped out.  He took her in his arms and held her tight, like he might have done twenty years before when she was just a baby.</p><p>          “I have been waiting 20 years to hold you,” he said to her.  “20 long, long years.”</p><p>          “Oh, Dad,” Maggie whispered.  He finally pulled away and kissed her on the forehead affectionately.</p><p>           “We have to go and get your brother and your friends.”  Maggie nodded and Jack stooped to pick up a gun from the guard.  “I have to be prepared,” he told his daughter.  “I’m not losing you again.”  Then he took his daughter’s hand and they started off down the long corridor.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Escape</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Six:  Escape</p><p> </p><p>          Jonny was struggling against the man restraining him.  He was sure Maggie wasn’t behind them anymore.  They had promised to stick together.  He had to find her, because if he didn’t, he knew something terrible would happen to her.</p><p>          “Stop it you little punk,” the guard ordered meanly.  Jonny kicked him in the shins in response.  “Hey!” the guard bellowed.  Jonny didn’t stop there.  Race had taught him how to protect himself very well.  With a twist and a heave, he managed to flip the bigger man onto the concrete floor.</p><p>          The guards who held Price and Devin turned to see what the commotion was.  Jonny was giving their comrade a sound beating.  Devin managed to pull free of his captor, but Price’s guard opened a cell door and shoved him into it before he could escape, locking it once it was closed.</p><p>          “Hey!” Price yelled from inside, “Let me out!”  With the odds now at three to two, Devin was quickly pinned to the floor next to the wall, and Jonny was pulled off his guard by another.  Jonny’s guard delivered a few kicks in retribution, subduing him.  It was a simple task after that for the three guards to throw both Jonny and Devin into separate cells in a nearby cell block.</p><p>          As soon as the three guards headed off to report to their boss Jonny and Devin approached their respective cell doors and peered out into the corridor.  Jonny noted the windows in this cell block were much larger than the cell he’d previously inhabited, but these had bars too close together to allow him to reach out far enough to jimmy the lock and unlatch the door.</p><p>          “Hey, Jonny,” Devin called cautiously.  They could see each other across the way through their windows.  “What happened to my sister?”</p><p>          “I don’t know.  That’s what got the fight started.”  Jonny shook his head in discouragement.  “I don’t know how I’m going to find her when I’m stuck in here.  If they separated her from us…that can’t be good.”  Devin nodded solemnly.  “We’ve gotta get out of here and find her.”</p><p>          “I’ve been trying to think of a way out for days,” Devin said frankly.  “I don’t think there is one- without help, anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Race Bannon circled the Hovand Industries Warehouse Building to scout out possible ways in.  He had split the team in two; himself and Hadji, and Dr. Quest and Jessie.  Bandit had chosen to follow close behind Hadji.  Race didn’t mind the bull-terrier’s company.  That dog knew when to keep quiet and when to raise hell.  So far, he had only been interested in sniffing around the building along the wall.</p><p>          Suddenly Bandit bounded ahead, racing around the back corner of the building.  Race and Hadji followed cautiously, but only found Dr. Quest and Jessie when they peered wearily around the corner.  Quickly joining them, it was clear no one had had any real luck.  Bandit whined, sensing their discouragement.</p><p>          “The only possibility I could see would be a vent of some kind.  It’s pretty small, a tight squeeze, and no telling where it could end up,” Race finally said.</p><p>          “We didn’t see anything on our side,” Benton said.</p><p>          “No vents, no doors,” Jessie agreed.</p><p>          “The vent it is,” Race decided pessimistically.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Jack Hardy silently approached the corner, cautious of what may be around it.  He kept his daughter close behind him, not wanting to risk losing her so soon after getting her back.  Maggie had fallen into a state of shocked disbelief, a delayed reaction to discovering her father.  She simply followed where he led, marveling that she was holding the hand of the man that had helped to give her life.  He was alive.</p><p>          Jack slowly peered around the corner, but all he saw was an empty passageway.  The pair rounded the corner together and noiselessly progressed along the hall.  As they passed through, they both noticed that one of the cell doors was closed.  They approached cautiously.  When they stood in front of it, they heard an odd thud, like something or someone was moving behind it.</p><p>          “Is someone in there?” Maggie cautiously whispered at the solid steel door.  There were no windows in these cells.</p><p>          “Maggie? Is that you?” came a muffled but familiar voice.  “It’s me, Price.  I’m locked in.”</p><p>          “Hold on, I’ll get you out.”  She took the ring of keys she still held, and started fitting them into the lock.  Finally, one turned.  “Price!” she said when he emerged, glad to see him unharmed.  He gave her a hug, but quickly released her when he saw the grizzled man behind her watching him intently.</p><p>          “Who is that?” Price asked.</p><p>          “My father,” she answered a bit breathlessly.  It was hard to believe even now.  “Price?”  She peered into the open cell.  “What happened to Jonny and Devin?”</p><p>          “I wish I knew,” was all Price could say.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Race managed to get the vent cover off by undoing the screws with a thin shard of metal he’d found on the ground.  The opening was quite small; they would have to carefully squeeze through it, but the duct beyond was about three feet by three feet.  plenty of room to crawl.  Race tentatively tested the bottom of the vent to see if it would hold his weight.  “Let’s go in,” he said with a satisfied expression.</p><p>          The bottom seemed quite safe; it didn’t even indent when Race put his weight on it.  It didn’t give any when Jessie, then Hadji holding Bandit, followed lastly by Dr. Quest added their weight to Race’s.  Slowly and carefully they crawled their way through the vent.  It grew darker and darker as they got farther from the entrance.</p><p>          “Anybody have a flashlight?” Jessie asked in a whisper.  “I can’t even see my hand in front of my face anymore.”</p><p>          “Never fear,” Hadji replied, “I will shed some light on this situation.”  In a few moments, a dim glow filled the vent tunnel.  “I took the liberty of borrowing one of Dr. Quest’s experimental glow rods.”</p><p>          “No time like the present to put them to the test,” Benton quipped.  Hadji passed the glow rod up to Race who headed the line. </p><p>          “Much better,” Race mumbled.  They followed the vent for a long time, until finally, they came to a fork.  “Right or left?” Race asked.</p><p>          “Left,” came a chorus of quiet voices.</p><p>          “Left it is,” Race said, turning in that direction.  The tunnel took a sharp turn, and suddenly, there was another vent cover in front of them with light coming through.  “Hold up,” Race ordered.  He passed the glow rod back to Benton so no one on the other side of the vent might chance to see it.  Then Race moved forward to peer through the thin slats in the grate and see where they were.</p><p>          It appeared the vent came out in a large room, the warehouse floor.  He could see the ceiling far overhead.  In front of the grate was a huge stack of crates and shipping boxes.  Nothing else was visible, and he could hear nothing but the air in the circulation system.  The spot appeared to be an excellent place to exit the vent.</p><p>          “Cross your fingers,” Race said.  “I’m going to see if this tin lid will open.”  This grate, unlike the first, was just as large as the duct- three feet by three feet.  An easy exit.  Race grasped it tightly in his hands, and pressed against the cover.  Amazingly, it came loose.  It wasn’t screwed on like he had feared.  Race set the grate on the ground as quietly as possible and they all climbed out of the duct.</p><p>          “Where do you suppose they put Jonny and Maggie,” Jessie asked looking around the huge room from behind the boxes.</p><p>          “There are two doors,” Hadji said from atop a crate.  “One on either side of the main floor.”</p><p>          “We should split up,” Jessie said.  “Two go one way, two the other.  We can cover more ground that way.”</p><p>          “It’s too dangerous to split up-” Race began.</p><p>          “It would mean less time spent in this place,” Hadji pointed out.</p><p>          “And it makes the most sense,” Dr. Quest put in.  Race sighed.</p><p>          “Alright, we’ll split up,” he relented.</p><p>          “Shhh!” Hadji hissed.  “Someone is coming.”  He ducked down behind the crates and boxes as several people were heard entering the warehouse work floor.  They were talking as they went, and the Quest Team listened intently, trying to hear what they said.</p><p>          “Hovand will be mad his kid is in a cell block,” one man said to the others.</p><p>          “Yeah, but at least he’s out of the way.  Can’t cause trouble,” said a second.</p><p>          “Wonder what happened to Lenny and the chick?” a third, much younger sounding man said.</p><p>          “Lenny can handle her,” the first man said.  After that, they were too far away for the Quest Team to hear.  When they were gone, Dr. Quest spoke up.</p><p>          “They came from that direction,” Dr. Quest pointed to the right, “and from the sound of it, that’s where we’ll find Jonny and Maggie.”  Race sighed with relief.  There was no reason for them to split up.  Cautiously, the four of them and Bandit made their way, weaving among the shipping pallets, headed for the doors.  Once through, they silently slipped down a corridor, then they turned down a dim corridor, finally coming to a stop at a bend.  They rounded the corner, then stopped short when they spotted a groaning man attempting to get up off the floor.</p><p>          “Hey!” he shouted the moment he spied them, “What the-?”  Race rushed him, and within seconds he was out cold on the floor.</p><p>          “I wonder what happened to him?” Jessie asked.</p><p>          “Good question, but I don’t want to hang around to find out,” her father answered.  “Let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Jack Hardy led Maggie and Price down twisting and turning corridors.  He didn’t want to take the usual avenues; by taking the back routes, they could avoid any encounters with the guards.  He hoped.  It was definitely longer, Jack knew, but it was less likely they would be found and recaptured.</p><p>          “Are you sure you know where they were taken?” Price asked.  “This place is a catacomb of cell blocks.”</p><p>          “I’m sure,” Jack said, turning to him and leveling a hard gaze on him.  “I’ve been here, and places like it, for twenty damn years.”  Price wisely remained silent.  Jack shifted his attention back to leading the small party.  “It’s not much farther up ahead.  Quiet now, in case the guards are still hanging around.”</p><p>          Maggie kept her hand tucked in her father’s.  With her other hand, she clutched tightly to Price’s hand, so they wouldn’t get separated.  Price followed close behind her, carrying her shoes, which she had removed to eliminate the clicking noise they made on the cement floors.</p><p>          Jack stopped at the next corner, and stood flat against the wall, completely out of sight.  He tentatively peered around the corner.  Everything was clear.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          The Quest Team systematically searched the maze of corridors, avoiding the guards as they went.  All of them were aware that the longer they remained within the building, the higher the chances of being discovered.  They had to find and rescue Maggie and Jonny, and fast.  They understood clearly Price had disappeared along with Jonny and Maggie, but what wasn’t clear was whether he had gone willingly or by force.  Price was Connor Hovand’s son.  They couldn’t trust him.</p><p>          “Another cell block,” Race whispered as they neared another branch in the maze of corridors.  He was flat against the wall, out of sight of anyone who might be down there.  Stealthily, he peered around the corner.  Then he stepped out, motioning for the others to follow.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Connor Hovand III looked up irritably as his conversation with Miss Amelia Trencher was interrupted.  He gave the burly hired muscle a cool glare.</p><p>          “I’m sorry to disturb you, Sir,” the guard said.  “We have a slight situation.”</p><p>          “What now?” Connor snapped with annoyance.</p><p>          “A patrol reported an open vent on the outside of the building.  They think we’ve got intruders.”  Mr. Hovand frowned.</p><p>          “They <em>think</em>?” Connor hissed angrily.  “Do you have something more concrete, or do you think I have time to deal with such petty issues?”</p><p>          “Lenny, Sir,” the guard continued.  “He got himself licked by the girl.  She got away, and she let the old man out.”  Connor swore.</p><p>          “The incompetence around here is astounding,” he complained.  “Find them and lock them up again.  Anything else?”  The guard reluctantly nodded.</p><p>          “Lenny saw the intruders, Sir.  Four of ’em, and a dog.  One was a red head girl.”  Connor swore again. </p><p>          “Dr. Quest and his annoying people are here,” Connor hissed.  “It’s got to be them.”  The guard didn’t move.  “Amelia,” he said to Miss Trencher, “get those lazy, good for nothing security people to block all the exits and patrol the base.  I need a team to accompany me to the cell block.  That’s where we’ll find Quest and that’s where we’ll find Hardy.”  She nodded and ran off to do his bidding.  He turned to the guard.  “You, come with me.”  The guard gave an affirmative nod, and he followed Mr. Hovand from the room.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Jonny and Devin had been quiet for a long time.  At first they had waited, thinking Maggie would eventually be brought to a neighboring cell.  They thought Price would be retrieved from the other cell.  Neither had materialized, though, and Jonny and Devin wondered if they hadn’t been sent to some other fate.  Price wasn’t so much a worry.  He was Hovand’s biological son and heir.  But Maggie…  the imagination provided plenty of horrific possibilities.</p><p>          “Hey, Jonny,” Devin said, breaking the silence.</p><p>          “Yeah?” came the reply.</p><p>          “What do you suppose happened to Maggie?”  He had asked before, but asking again sure beat letting his imagination run wild.</p><p>          “Beats me,” Jonny replied, again.  “I hope she’s alright.”</p><p>          “Me, too,” Devin said.  They fell quiet again.  “Jonny,” Devin called softly in the same low tones as before.</p><p>          “Yeah?” Jonny replied. </p><p>          “How do you know my sister?  Are you… related to Benton Quest?”</p><p>          “Yeah,” Jonny replied.  “He’s my dad.”</p><p>          “Laura said he’s her half-brother.  So, you’re Maggie’s cousin,” Devin said.  There was a moment of silence.  “I guess that makes you my cousin, too.”</p><p>          “Yeah, it does,” Jonny responded.  They were silent again.  Preoccupation didn’t breed good conversation.  Excited barking suddenly filled the cell block, echoing off the concrete walls, amplifying the sound.  Devin jumped up to look through his window, and Jonny was standing at his own.  “Bandit!” Jonny exclaimed as a little black and white moving object came tearing down the hall.</p><p>          “Jonny!” came excited shouts from both ends of the cell block corridor.  Suddenly everyone froze, including the dog.  Three people stood at one end, and four at the other.</p><p>          “What the Sam Hill are you doing there?” Race exclaimed, gawking at Maggie, Price, and the stranger with them.</p><p>          “Dr. Quest!” Maggie exclaimed, ignoring Race’s comment.  “How did you get here?”</p><p>          “We came to rescue you,” he answered, just as much amazed as she.</p><p>          “Dad!” Jonny called.  “Am I glad to see you.”  Benton looked to the cell window that Jonny was peering out of.</p><p>          “Jonny, are you all right?” Dr. Quest asked.</p><p>          “Fine, pop,” Jonny replied.  As he spoke, the strange, bedraggled man with Maggie and Price hurried to his cell door, keys dangling from his hand.  “Who’re you?” Jonny asked.  Jack Hardy wasted no time with pleasantries.  He immediately started trying keys in the lock.  Jonny looked up and caught Maggie’s eye.  She smiled wanly.</p><p>          “He’s my dad,” she said.  “No tricks this time.”  That got a few awed stares.</p><p>          “Devin, are you in here?” Price asked, looking around the block.</p><p>          “Right here,” Devin answered, sticking his fingers through the barred window.</p><p>          “How did you get away, Maggie?” Jonny asked while Jack systematically tried key after key.</p><p>          “I decided to give the guard a little taste of his own medicine,” Maggie replied with a nervous giggle.</p><p>          “So, you would be responsible for the unconscious guard,” Hadji deduced, coming out of his amazed shock.</p><p>          “Yeah,” Maggie said, glancing at Jack.  “Me, and my dad.”  The Quest Team turned to look and the tall, gaunt, and grizzled man once again.  He had finally succeeded in locating the correct key for the cell doors.  Jonny bounded out of his cell, rejoicing in his regained freedom, and Bandit launched himself at Jonny, ecstatic to be reunited with his master.  Jack immediately went to the next cell, and quickly let out Devin.  The first thing Devin did when he was free was take hold of Maggie’s hand and pull her into a hug.  When he let go of her, Jack was standing in front of them with a smile on his face, the first in many years to be sure.  Both Maggie and Devin reached out to him and pulled him into a family hug, reunited at last.  The moment was bittersweet, Laura was not there, nor could she be again.</p><p>          “I hate to break up this touching reunion,” said a voice from behind the Quest Team, “but I’m afraid I have some unfinished business to attend to.”  Everyone looked to see Connor Hovand standing at one end of the corridor with a small army of guards around him.  Bandit started to growl menacingly.  Jonny scooped him up off the ground before the little dog could get into trouble.</p><p>          “Father,” Price said, barely managing to contain his anger.  Connor Hovand ignored his son.</p><p>          “Men, I want all of them.  Now.”  His order was immediately acted upon.</p><p>          “Move it!” Race commanded.  They turned and fled.  Hovand’s men got off only a single shot before their quarry were safely around the corner.  The shot served only to spur them on, running faster.</p><p>          “No shooting!” Connor’s voice echoed down the corridors.  “You’ll hit my son!”</p><p>          Jack kept up with the others, but not for long.  Years of inactivity, sitting in a cell day after day, had taken a toll on his physical abilities.  Maggie watched as her father dropped farther and farther back, until he was behind her.</p><p>          “Dad!” she called with worry, and turned to help him.</p><p>          “Keep going, Maggie!” Dr. Quest called to her.  “Race has him!”  Maggie put her faith in Race Bannon to take care of her father, and let Price grab her hand, pulling her along as he ran past her.</p><p>          Race literally picked Jack Hardy up off the ground to carry him on his back as he ran.  He was shocked at how light the man was.  Race figured Jack weighed less than Jessie, and she was the smallest among them.  And he could feel some of Jack’s ribs press into his back.  Jack hadn’t appeared so thin at first glance, his over-sized clothes gave a false impression, but now Race could tell the man was little more than a ragged skeleton.</p><p>          They kept running, following Devin, who was trying his best to lead them to the main floor of the warehouse.  He had an idea forming in his mind, a plan of escape, but he had to work it just right.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Connor Hovand knew where they were headed and took the short route to the main floor.  He wasn’t going to break a sweat over those stupid, headache-causing nuisances.  Reaching the main warehouse floor well ahead of anyone else, he climbed up a metal stairway to the foreman’s office.  From there he had a direct view of the entire floor.  He fully intended to sit back and enjoy the show.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Devin felt relieved when he saw the main warehouse floor dead ahead.  The horde of security men trailing them was getting closer.  They had had a terrifying moment when a second group of guards had tried to cut them off, but they had just managed to avoid getting caught.  There wasn’t time to check for traps, so Devin chanced it and bolted right through the doorway to the main floor, the others close on his heels.  They met no opposition, for the moment.  Devin took cover among the crates and packing boxes along the wall, the others taking cover with him.</p><p>          Race was surprised, and relieved, to see they were right in front of the grate they’d used to exit the ventilation system they’d used to access the building.  He also noticed that the vent cover was in place, and he had purposely left it off before going in search of Jonny and Maggie.  Their entrance point had been discovered, and quite likely, it had been sealed.</p><p>          Race set Jack down on the floor against a crate, and Maggie knelt beside him, checking to make sure he was okay.  She didn’t have the chance to say anything when the gunshots began to ring through the warehouse.  Jack pushed his daughter away and pulled the gun he’d taken and held it up to Dr. Quest.  Race pulled his own weapon from a holster on his shoulder.  It had come out of the black backpack he’d picked up early that morning.  With two guns, they would at least be able to hold off the enemy until they could make their escape.  Race peered over a crate and fired off a few return shots.  A scream indicated he’d hit at least one man.</p><p>          “They screwed the grate back on,” Jessie said dismally as she tried to pry it off the opening in the wall.  Jonny knelt beside her and pulled with her, but it had been securely attached.</p><p>          “I guessed as much,” Race said, turning toward them for a moment.  “See if you can find something to loosen the screws with.”  Jack immediately started digging through his pockets.  He came up with the set of keys he had used to unlock the cell doors.  Jessie took them and held them up against the screws.  When she found a key that fit into the groove on the head of the screw, it took only a few forced turns to loosen it.</p><p>          “Good work, Jessie,” Hadji cheered.</p><p>          “Someone twist the screws by hand once Jessie loosens them.  It will go faster,” Dr. Quest said.  Maggie crawled over and stood on her knees beside Jessie.  She started removing the loosened screws by hand. </p><p>          While they worked on the grate, and Dr. Quest and Race kept the guards occupied, Devin was taking his idea and turning it into a workable plan.  He had explored the warehouse when he’d first arrived, before anyone knew he was there.  When he did, he discovered the crates and packing boxes on the main floor contained various kinds of explosives, among other things, and he knew how to set one of the explosives off.  Which was exactly what he planned to do, now that they had a viable way out.</p><p>          “What are you up to?” Price asked as he watched Devin pull things from a few nearby packing boxes.</p><p>          “I’m going to set off these explosives,” Devin told him pointing to the detonator switch he had just uncovered in the box.  Hadji and Jonny crowded in, ready to get a piece of the action.</p><p>          “Slammin!” Jonny said.</p><p>          “Explosives would explain why they aren’t firing directly at us,” Race commented.  “I was wondering why they were shooting over our heads.”</p><p>          “Why are there explosives here?” Dr. Quest asked.  “What is Connor Hovand doing with them?”</p><p>          “Connor Hovand has been dealing in illegal weapons and explosives for decades,” Jack spoke up.  “Laura’s been investigating him for years.”</p><p>          “Here,” Devin said, shoving a coil of thin wires into Price’s hands, “hold this.”</p><p>          “How do you know how to use this stuff?” Price asked as his adopted brother carefully prepared the charges.</p><p>          “Remember my trip to Guatemala?”  Price nodded.  “They were using this stuff to blast rock for a highway.  I was helping clear away the rubble from the blasts, and I picked up a few things.  Okay, it’s ready now.  Let’s go set them.”</p><p>          “Hey, Race,” Jonny said.  “Do you think you can distract them while we rig up the explosives?”</p><p>          “No problem,” Race replied.  He took a few shots as the four boys stealthily moved out to plant the explosives.</p><p>          Jonny and Devin slid across the smooth cement floor on their stomachs, army style, carefully making their way to the center walkway of the main warehouse floor.  Once there, Jonny helped Devin slip the little charges of explosives into an open crack in the floor.  Devin attached the wires connected to the detonator, and set the switch.  Hadji, who had been told how to set the charges, took Price with him.  They set theirs in another crack that was located several feet off the main walkway.  It would be the secondary explosion.  By the time they got back, Jessie and Maggie had nearly finished removing the screws.  There were only two left, and they rushed to get them out.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Ends and Beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Seven:  Ends and Beginnings</p><p> </p><p>          Connor Hovand watched the boys as they slipped out to the walkway.  He slammed his fist down hard onto the arm of his chair when he realized what they were up to.  They weren’t supposed to use his own weapons against him.  He jumped from his seat, already running, and flew out of the office and down the metal stairs.</p><p>          “You idiots!” he roared.  “They’re setting the explosives!  Get them now or we’re finished!”  The contingent of guards moved out.  As the first men emerged from their cover, two were hit by opposing bullets, and the rest dove back for cover.  Mr. Hovand was irate. </p><p>          “Idiots!  Cowards!” he shouted at them.  “Didn’t you hear me?  They have explosives!  They will use them if you don’t get out there and stop them!”  The horde of security personnel, which had grown with the arrival of reinforcements, charged at the refugees behind the crates.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          “Got it!” Maggie called as the last screw came out of the vent.  She and Jessie hurriedly removed the cover.  Hadji hurried forward and climbed in with the glow rod, ready to kick out the outside vent cover in case it, too, was replaced tightly over the vent opening.  Benton was the next to duck into the opening, and he helped Jack through the tunnel after Maggie and Price handed Jack in to him.  Bandit was sent into the duct next.</p><p>          “They’re coming!” Jonny gave the warning, “dozens of them!”  Devin poked his head above the crates and watched them come.  He watched carefully as the guards approached the spot where he and Jonny had planted the first set of explosives.  Jessie manned the detonators.</p><p>          “Now!” Devin shouted to Jessie as the men came upon the first set of explosives.  The group ducked down as Jessie threw the switch.  A deafening explosion filled the warehouse, its reverberating echo just as bad as the initial sound.  The building shuddered as if an earthquake had hit.  Devin and Jonny were thrown back toward the wall a few feet, but Jessie managed to stay where she was next to the switch.  Everyone else dropped to the floor.</p><p>          Large cracks began to spread along the smooth cement floor of the warehouse.  It reminded Maggie of the way cracks spread on a pond in early spring as the ice broke up.  They all stood to see what damage had been done, and if Hovand’s men were still coming.</p><p>          “Why do you think I pay you?” Mr. Hovand could be clearly heard screaming.  “Get them!  Now!”  They watched as the other men charged.</p><p>          “Jessie!  Throw the other switch!” Jonny yelled.  Everyone ducked as the second explosion was set off.  This time, the warehouse building didn’t stop shaking.</p><p>          “We set too big of a charge,” Devin said in an urgent tone.  “The whole place is going to come crashing down!”  As if on cue, the web-like cracks began to spread in the floor, and a large mid-section of the floor fell away into the underground levels as an enormous ceiling lamp came crashing down on top of it.  All of them watched it cave in, mesmerized, and then another section began to fall away, the concrete crumbling from the support structure beneath it.  As it crashed down, another section separated from the rest of the floor.  Sections were crashing down all around the edge of the hole.  Hovand’s men scattered, shouting about escaping the warehouse.</p><p>          When another section fell away, it took a piece of floor with it that extended right under Jessie’s feet.  “Jessie!” Jonny and Race yelled as she started to drop out of sight with a scream.  Devin and Jonny lunged for her, and each caught one of her arms.  They saved her from her fall, and easily pulled her up onto the floor.</p><p>          “Thanks, guys,” Jessie said recovering quickly from her narrow escape.  “Let’s get out of here.”  Her words were punctuated by another large light falling not too far from them.  The others complied.  When another section of floor began to separate nearby, Price pushed Maggie down on her hands and knees and into the duct.  He ducked in right after her.  He looked back to see Jessie, Jonny, and Devin right behind him.  They hurried down the dark tunnel toward the outer vent.  Race came last, bringing up the rear.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Hadji and Dr. Quest had managed to kick open the vent, and get Jack Hardy through the small opening, no thanks to Bandit who wouldn’t stop barking at their feet.  They wondered what could be taking the others so long, and were worried when both rounds of explosives went off.  They were relieved when they peered into the tunnel and saw Maggie coming toward them.  Price was right behind.</p><p>          “Hurry,” Maggie called to them, “Help me out.”  She carefully, but quickly, started head first out the vent opening.  Dr. Quest held onto her as he pulled her the rest of the way out.  As soon as she was through, Price came feet first.  He and Dr. Quest helped Jessie, then Jonny, then Devin, and lastly Race from the little opening while Maggie and Hadji walked with Jack between them toward the van that was parked a block away.</p><p>          Once everyone else was clear of the duct, and all were accounted for, they made a run for the van, easily catching up to Maggie, Hadji, and Jack.  The group stopped dead in their tracks when they heard a deafening crack.  Spinning around, they watched as the warehouse fell apart and collapsed, as if in slow motion.  Billowing clouds of dust and debris were filling the air, and the escapees could hear the first faint sound of the authorities’ sirens.  There was a collective sigh of relief.</p><p>          “Looks like it’s all over, kids,” Race said with finality.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>          Once the authorities arrived, the whole area was suddenly swarming with police, fire fighters, paramedics, and other emergency personnel.  Even the fed’s and the CIA showed up.  Maggie, Devin, Jonny, and Price watched with satisfaction as Amelia Trencher and the other people in suits were taken away in handcuffs.  Most of the building’s security people were also led away by police.  The unlucky few were taken from the scene in body bags.  They were surprised that there hadn’t been more casualties.</p><p>          The Quests, Maggie, Price, Devin, and Jack were questioned along with anyone else on the scene, and Dr. Quest disclosed information about the documents they had discovered in Laura Hardy’s secret hiding place.  He told the CIA agents he suspected they contained valuable evidence against Connor Hovand and Hovand Industries.  He told them exactly where to find it, and they went after it right away, assuring Dr. Quest that everything would be taken care of.</p><p>          In the midst of all that activity, paramedics had loaded Jack Hardy into an ambulance and taken him to a local hospital.  Maggie and Devin had been allowed to accompany him to the hospital by the officer in charge at the scene.</p><p>          When the Quest Team arrived in the emergency waiting room, they found Devin and Maggie sitting on a bench along a wall.  Maggie was crying into Devin’s shoulder, and Devin had a comforting arm draped over her shoulders.  Jonny and Dr. Quest slowly approached the two.  Price hesitated a moment, but decided to include himself among the family, as he was Devin’s adopted brother.  The others hung back, giving Maggie and Devin a little privacy in their grief.</p><p>          “What’s wrong?” Jonny asked.  He sat down on the opposite side of Maggie.</p><p>          “Dr. Stevens said Jack won’t make it- said he’s too malnourished,” Devin answered for her.  “Most of his internal organs are so deteriorated, they’re at failure state.  He figures the only thing that kept Jack from having a heart attack or something today was his determination to see Maggie and I escape alive.”</p><p>          “I’m so sorry,” was all Dr. Quest could say.</p><p>          “We were sitting with him earlier,” Devin continued.  “Jack went delirious.  He started to- I don’t know- relive Laura’s death or something.  Connor made Jack watch when he killed her, you know.”  Maggie couldn’t hold back her sobs when he said that, and Devin instantly regretted bringing it up.  The looks Devin received from the others were both grim, and horrified.  He understood their feelings completely.  Jonny rested a reassuring hand on Maggie’s shoulder.  Jessie produced a tissue and came forward to hand it to her.  Maggie made the effort to compose herself.</p><p>          “Thank-you,” Maggie said with a sniffle.  “I’ll be all right.”</p><p>          “What about you?” Price asked Devin.  “You okay?”</p><p>          “I don’t know,” Devin said.  “I haven’t had time to think about it.”  Hadji and Jessie pulled up another bench, and they and Price took a seat.</p><p>          “I’m going to speak with Dr. Stevens,” Benton Quest said.  “I’ll see if there’s anything else we can do, other than wait.”</p><p>          “I’ll go with you, Doc,” Race volunteered.  The young people watched them go to the nurse’s station, all remaining silent as none of them could think of anything to say.  A few minutes had gone by before Dr. Quest and Race returned.</p><p>          “Good news, everyone,” Benton said.  “Jack has been moved out of emergency into intensive care.  He’s in a private room.  Maggie, you and Devin can go in and see him.”  Those sitting stood simultaneously, and followed as Benton and Race led them to the intensive care unit.  A young, pretty, blond nurse met them with a smile as they approached the nurses’ station.</p><p>          “Can you tell me what room Mr. Jack Hardy is in, please?” Maggie asked her.  “I’m his daughter.”</p><p>          “Of course,” said the nurse.  “Dr. Stevens said you and your brother are allowed to see him right away.  Everyone else must stay here.”</p><p>          “Can Dr. Quest come, too?” Maggie asked.  “He’s my uncle.  I want him with us.”  The nurse thought a moment, then nodded.  She motioned them to follow behind her, and they went.  Inside the hospital room, Jack Hardy was lying motionless on the hospital bed.  He was hooked up to all sorts of machines and devices.  Maggie almost cried at the sight.</p><p>          “Who’s there?” Jack’s faint voice inquired.</p><p>          “It’s me, Maggie,” his daughter answered.  “Devin is here, too.”</p><p>          “Good,” Jack said with a tired sigh.  He looked over at them, his eyes focusing and refocusing until he could see them clearly.  “And you,” he said, his gaze resting on Dr. Quest.  “Who <em>are</em> you?”</p><p>          “This is Dr. Benton Quest,” Maggie spoke up.  “He’s Mom’s-”</p><p>          “Her brother,” Jack said with a nod.  “She mentioned you, before…”  Jack trailed off and shook his head slightly.  He didn’t have to finish.  They knew Laura had told him as much as she could before she was killed.  Maggie and Devin took a seat in a pair of chairs at his bedside.  Jack reached a hand toward his daughter, and Maggie took it.  She noticed, for the first time, how very thin it was, and how very frail her father looked.  In her shock at finding him alive, she had missed how sickly he was.  In a way Jack seemed content, having his son and daughter with him at last, yet, there was still the underlying grief he had for his wife.</p><p>          Dr. Stevens quietly entered the room, and Benton took the opportunity to speak with him for a while.  Dr. Stevens repeated what he had told Maggie and Devin, and it wasn’t good. </p><p>          Maggie and Devin stayed beside their father until Jack fell asleep.  Then they followed Dr. Quest from the room at his quiet insistence.  They walked the short distance to the waiting room to join the others.</p><p>          “I hate seeing him like that.  What did he ever do to deserve this?” Maggie asked.  “Why does he have to die like this?”  Dr. Quest looked at his niece sadly.  Maggie’s eyes were full of tears.  Devin looped an arm around her waist and gave her a reassuring squeeze.</p><p>          “I think you need to rest,” Dr. Quest said gently.  “This is a lot to deal with right now, and after everything you’ve been through in the last few weeks.  I’d like for you to go back to the hotel for a while.”</p><p>          “I’m not leaving my father,” Maggie told him stubbornly.</p><p>          “Jack isn’t going anywhere,” Dr. Quest countered.  “Consider how he’ll feel when he sees you exhausted and distraught.”  She looked at the floor.</p><p>          “Maggie, go,” Devin said.  “I’ll stay here with him.”</p><p>          “No,” Maggie said, clutching at Devin’s hand.  “I don’t want to leave you, either.”</p><p>          “Both of you go to the hotel,” Race spoke up.  “I’ll take you, and the Doc and Jonny can stay here with your dad.”  He glanced at Dr. Quest.  Benton nodded.</p><p>          “Yeah,” Jonny said.  “If you think about it, he’s my uncle, and Dad’s brother-in-law.  We’re family.”  Maggie wavered.</p><p>          “Yeah, we’ll go,” Devin said.  “Okay, Maggie?”  Maggie finally agreed.</p><p>          “Just for a few hours,” she said.  “Then I’m right back here.  I don’t want to be away from my Dad any longer than necessary.  Devin and I just found him, and we don’t have long to be with him.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>June 1999</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Location:  Ravenwood Care Center, Camden, Maine</p><p> </p><p>          Jack sat watching those around him.  He kept a careful eye on his kids, not wanting to let them out of his sight ever again.  He’d spent enough of his life apart from them.  He wasn’t about to squander the time he had left.  For twenty years all he’d had of his daughter was a single memory of seeing her through the hospital’s nursery window, a tiny bundle of pink.  His baby girl was all grown up, now, and it amazed him how much like her mother she was, though he could see a lot of himself in her, too. </p><p>          Jack had been lucky enough to have his son the first three years of his life.  He could still see traces of that small boy in Matthew’s face.  Matthew had no recollection of that time, which was all right with Jack.  Those hadn’t been happy days.  He was just relived that the years his son had spent in captivity hadn’t had any detectable detrimental effects.  More like Laura, perhaps, than his sister, Matthew was tenacious and curious almost to a fault.  It had been Matthew’s investigation into his origins that had led him to Laura and that warehouse in Minneapolis- and nearly cost him his life.  Discovering his ‘adoption’ had not been legitimate set Matthew on that path.  Abigail Hovand had no idea what her husband had done.  She had been instrumental in getting Matthew registered with the county upon discovering no record of his birth had ever been filed.  She gave her blessing when Matthew decided to use his birth name as his legal name going forward.</p><p>          His gaze slowly wandered the room.  This place was far nicer than the hospital had been, even if it <em>was</em> a well disguised nursing home.  He was content to live out the rest of his life here, though, because his children would be allowed to live with him in this apartment-like home.  His health was a step from death, he knew, but he was determined to hang on for as long as he could.  It wasn’t because he wanted to get to know his children- though he desperately wished he had the time to do so- but because he wanted his children to know him.  For the rest of their lives they would live with the knowledge of his twenty-year confinement, and the only memories they would have of him would consist of him as an invalid.  He wanted them to have more than that to take with them.  He wanted them to know how he was before Connor Hovand changed everything.</p><p>          Maggie’s and Matthew’s futures were all that mattered to him.  As he glanced around the room, his gaze wandered from person to person, studying the people that had become important to his children’s lives.  Jonny Quest was the first his gaze encountered.  The boy reminded him of Laura, the way he had of looking <em>into</em> you, rather than at you.  Benton Quest proved to be a good friend; he was more than generous to him and his children, offering assistance in everything from money to emotional support.  Jack wished life could have been different, that he could have known his wife’s brother under normal circumstances.  Hadji reminded Jack of himself; intelligent and the voice of reason.  Jack sometimes wondered if the Quests truly understood the wisdom the young man had.  Still, Hadji’s wisdom may be overlooked, but he was nowhere near being underappreciated.</p><p>          Jack had grown to admire Race Bannon and his daughter, Jessica.  Race, who was employed by Dr. Quest (though Jack strongly suspected he was at one time a government agent- the man had too many of Laura’s ’agent quirks’ not to be), saw his job in more personal terms.  This wasn’t just a job- this was a rather unusual extended family, and Race Bannon had included Maggie, Matthew, and himself within it.  Jessie was, in many ways, cut from the same cloth as her father.  She and Maggie seemed to be forming a solid friendship, and Jack knew the value of friends like these.  Laura had taught him that.</p><p>          Jack did not, however, appreciate having Connor Hovand’s son around, but the young man was Matthew’s adopted brother, and he <em>had</em> proven beyond a doubt where his loyalties lay.  It wasn’t fair to judge a son by his father, Jack reminded himself.  Reluctantly, he also had to admit his wariness about the young man had more to do with Price’s interest in Maggie than anything, but the interest seemed mutual.  It was just difficult to reconcile the baby he remembered from twenty years ago with the grown woman she’d become.  Despite his lingering thoughts, life was still happening around him, and he brought himself back to it.</p><p>          “There’s a few things that I can’t quite figure out,” Jonny was saying.</p><p>          “What is most pressing upon your mind, my friend?” Hadji prompted.</p><p>          “Who made the mysterious phone call to Maggie at the Quest Compound?  How did he know where she was?  How did he get the number?”</p><p>          “That’s quite a few questions, Jonny,” Dr. Quest said with a laugh.</p><p>          “The first one’s easy,” Matthew said with a knowing smile.  “I was the caller.”</p><p>          “You?” Maggie said surprised.  “I thought Dad somehow did that.”</p><p>          “Nope,” Matthew continued, “I snooped through Connor’s things.  That’s how I found out about Laura, and where to find her.  I started to get the picture when I found the explosives and weapons in the warehouse.  She filled me in on the rest once I located her.  She knew about her half-brother for years, but she didn’t want to drag him and his family into this mess.  But she didn’t want Maggie alone if something happened to her, so Laura had a will drawn up with her half-brother as executor and Maggie’s guardian.  We both agreed Maggie would go straight to Dr. Quest for help when she saw the will, and we hoped we’d find her there.  Laura told me the number, and I made the phone call.  That’s when I was caught.”</p><p>          “I wonder how my sister got the number for the house,” Dr. Quest mused.</p><p>          “She <em>was</em> CIA,” Jessie pointed out.  That was enough said on that score.  “Dr. Quest?” Jessie asked, “What was in the files that Maggie found hidden in the house where she and her mom lived?”</p><p>          “Concrete proof of Connor Hovand’s weapons trade in the international black market,” Dr. Quest replied.  “They were very cleverly disguised, but these documents she managed to secure were preliminary documents, drafts yet to be cleaned up to look like valid sales of equipment produced by Hovand Industries.”</p><p>          “Something is not making sense,” Hadji said thoughtfully.  “I looked through those documents, many times.  They were much too recent, more than ten years too recent, to have started all of this twenty years ago.”</p><p>          “Hovand slipped up twenty-one years ago, just before Laura took a leave of absence at the end of her pregnancy,” Jack said.  “He lost some kind of incriminating paperwork.  Back then, the government was well aware he was selling explosives and weapons to foreign terrorists.  Laura was the one who discovered the connection to Hovand Industries and particularly, Connor Hovand.  But he had a contact within the CIA, a double agent who identified Laura to him.  Hovand firmly believed Laura had taken the papers when she dropped out of his sight.  Laura didn’t, though.  And the reason he didn’t kill Laura at the hospital, along with the doctor, is because he hoped he could get her to give those missing papers back.”  He looked around at the small group listening avidly to his tale.  “I take it Laura finally <em>did</em> get the dirt on Hovand?”  Dr. Quest gave Jack an affirmative nod.  “Good.  She deserved the satisfaction of that, at the very least.”</p><p>          “Wait a minute,” Jonny said, confused.  “If Laura got the proof she needed to take Hovand down, then why didn’t she do it?  Why did she hide it?”</p><p>          “Because,” Race said, “if she’d turned her proof over to authorities, her husband and her son would be dead before they could take Hovand into custody.  She hid the proof to buy herself some time to find Jack and Matthew.  After they were safe, then she’d nail Hovand.”</p><p>          “But he found her first,” Jonny finished.  Race nodded solemnly.  Maggie stood, and leaned over the back of her father’s chair.  She put her arms around him comfortingly.  Jack reached a hand up to cover one of hers.  They both missed Laura very much, but they appreciated everything Laura had gone through on their behalf.  Theirs was a grief Matthew just couldn’t share.  Matthew felt cheated in a way, and slightly jealous that Maggie had had so many years with their mother.  He had known his birth mother only briefly, and that’s all he would ever have.  His gaze connected with Jack’s.  Jack could sense his son had more on his mind.</p><p>          “You have more questions,” Jack said knowingly.  Matthew nodded.</p><p>          “What happened that day at the hospital, when Maggie and I were born?” Matthew asked.  “Why didn’t Connor take her, instead of me?  Why didn’t he take both of us?”  Matthew felt both Maggie and Price watching him.  They understood what he was asking, and he understood their surprised reaction.  He may have been taken from his real parents, but…  “I know I had Mother, and Price, but… I want to know <em>why</em>.  Why did it happen the way it did?  I just… I just need to know.”  Suddenly, he could tell, it was all right with Maggie and Price both.</p><p>          “I’m not certain,” Jack said, thinking back to that day.  “Maggie was safely delivered and in the care of the maternity ward nurses by the time I arrived at the hospital.  I stopped to see my new daughter for just a moment, then I went to be with my wife who I was told was having trouble delivering the second twin.”  He grasped Maggie’s hand firmly, his expression turning grim.  “When I walked into the delivery room, the doctor was dead, Laura was unconscious, and the nurse was putting a diaper on my son.  She was clearly surprised to see me,” Jack commented.  Then he said, “she was Amelia Trencher.”  That announcement got a few gasps.</p><p>          “My father’s <em>secretary</em>?” Price exclaimed, shocked.</p><p>          “Oh, yes,” Jack confirmed.  “But she didn’t kill the doctor.  That was Connor himself.  I didn’t know he was there until he put a gun to my head and forced me to leave my family.  That night I got Matthew back when Hovand told me to take care of him.  I did, for a few years at least, before Matthew was taken away.”  He looked at his son.  “You were supposed to die that night,” he said.  “Abigail Hovand saved your life, and she didn’t even know it.  For that I will always be in her debt.”</p><p>          “That’s what she said,” Matthew replied quietly.  “Laura, I mean.  We talked a little before they found me.  She- she gave me permission to think of Abigail as my mother.  I think I needed that from her.”  Matthew looked up at Jack earnestly.  “I guess I needed that from you, too.”  He glanced at Maggie.  “And you.”</p><p>          “You don’t need my permission,” Jack said.  “How you feel about Abigail Hovand doesn’t make you more or less my son.”  Matthew nodded.</p><p>          “Your mother is wonderful,” Maggie said with an encouraging smile.  “She clearly loves you very much, and she’s definitely proud to call you her son.”  Jonny winked at Maggie with a crooked grin, and the word ‘overzealous’ came to mind.  Maggie laughed.  “I think she and I will get along just fine.”  Matthew smiled back, relieved.  Jack smiled, too.  He might not be long for this world, but his kids were going to be just fine.</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p><p>August 1999</p><p> </p><p>Location:  Quest Compound, Maine</p><p> </p><p>          Maggie was standing on the lawn beside her uncle and cousin.  There was a small gathering of people there, all dressed in black, mourning the death of Jack Hardy.  Maggie was sad, of course, but she wasn’t letting the grief overwhelm her.  She had known her father wouldn’t live long, and was glad he had managed to hang onto life until the end of the summer.  She had gotten to spend his last days with him, and with Matthew, and she would remember it with happiness the rest of her life.</p><p>          “So, what do you plan to do now your father is gone?” Benton asked her.  “You know you always have a home here with us.”</p><p>          “Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll go back to school.  Mrs. Hovand lives in Connecticut, now that she’s sold her husband’s company.  Price is going into the Air Force.  He has a degree in engineering, and I guess he’s found a good opportunity to use it with the Air Force.  Abigail will be lonely without him, so Matthew has decided to move near Abigail.  I want to be near my brother, so I’ve found a school in Connecticut.”</p><p>          “I see you’ve put a lot of thought into this,” Dr. Quest said.  “I hope your plans bring you happiness for a change.”  Maggie smiled.</p><p>          “I think it’s for the best,” Maggie said.</p><p>          “You be sure and let me know if there’s anything you need,” Dr. Quest said.  “I’m the executor of the trust your mother left you, and as it turns out, your father had some money stuck away for Matthew, too, and he’s put those funds in my care, as well.”</p><p>          “We’re fine, Dr. Quest,” Maggie said, “But thank-you.”</p><p>          “Maggie,” Dr. Quest said, “I’m your uncle, and you may call me Uncle Benton if you wish.”  Maggie smiled.</p><p>          “I’ll miss you, Uncle Benton, and Jonny, too.”  She hugged them both at once.</p><p>          “Connecticut isn’t that far,” Jonny said.  “You’re going to visit on holidays and breaks, aren’t you?”</p><p>          “If that’s an invitation, you can expect me for sure,” Maggie said.  “We’re family, and I know exactly how important family is.”  Dr. Quest and Jonny hugged her again.  And when Hadji joined them to see what all the hugging was about he was the surprised recipient of yet another hug.</p><p>          “I am not certain what that was for,” Hadji said, hugging her back.</p><p>          “It’s a little bit of a thank-you,” Maggie said, stepping back, “but mostly it’s because you’re a good friend as well as my cousin.”  Hadji looked surprised, but he slowly smiled.  He’d never felt less of a son to Dr. Quest than Jonny, but it was nice when that was recognized by people outside the immediate family.</p><p>          “You are welcome,” Hadji replied.  “Know that you have my deepest sympathies for the loss of both your parents.  But know also that I am happy to be part of the family you have gained.”  Maggie smiled, perhaps a little sadly, but genuinely happy none the less.  A few minutes later, Maggie left them to speak with other guests.  Dr. Quest, Jonny, and Hadji watched her go, expressions mixed with worry and affection on all their faces.</p><p>          “She’ll be fine,” Race said, joining them, Jessie beside him.  “Connor Hovand is dead, and a lot of trouble went with him to his grave.”</p><p>          “I don’t know, Race,” Jonny said dubiously.  “They never confirmed it was his body they found in the warehouse’s burnt ruins.”</p><p>          “Come on, Jonny,” Jessie said with a roll of her eyes.  “It had to be him.  He was the only person unaccounted for.  And he never came out.”</p><p>          “Still,” Jonny said, “It’s not impossible.”  Jessie clearly didn’t believe him.  Neither did anyone else.  Jonny kept further thoughts to himself.  Jessie left them a minute later to find Maggie.  Maggie smiled when she saw her.</p><p>          “How are you doing?” Jessie asked as they started walking toward the path that lead to the beach below the lighthouse.  “I mean, how are you really feeling?”</p><p>          “Honestly?” Maggie asked.</p><p>          “Honestly,” Jessie prompted.  Maggie sighed.</p><p>          “Uncertain, I guess,” Maggie answered.  “I don’t know how things will turn out, but I’m going to do my best to make Matthew and I a family.  And I intend to make Uncle Benton and Jonny and Hadji a part of it, too.”</p><p> </p><p>*JQJQJQJQ*</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank-you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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